The Dawn
by Kittens In The Closet
Summary: It came out of nowhere, and quickly. All the adults died. Blood was spilled, gangs and tribes formed, children were left to rule the world. In the city of Panem, a group of survivors come together and reluctantly become a tribe, as they try to figure out how to make something worth living in. Danger lurks around every corner. Will they survive? Inspired by The Tribe.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I've had this idea in my mind for weeks, after I found one of my favourite shows from when I was younger online, called The Tribe. It's about a group of teenagers who call themselves the Mallrats, living in a post-apocalyptic world after all the adults are wiped out by a virus. This fic is based on the first series of the show. If you have any questions, send me a PM or leave them in a review, and I'll answer them. The next chapter will be longer, this is just the prologue. I do not own The Tribe or The Hunger Games.**

The Dawn: Prologue

The Virus. Where it came from, no one had the slightest idea. It swept every city, every suburb, every state, every country, causing heartbreak and chaos to erupt everywhere. It had all started with symptoms of the common cold, a day or two later coughing up blood, followed by rapidly aging. People in their early twenties turned old and grey in a matter of days, slowly and painfully dying, until they finally perished to the pandemic a week or two after showing signs. As the death toll rose around the world, doctors were looked at for answers and an antidote, both never supplied. Autopsies gave no insight to what caused the pandemic, and the people began to lose all hope.

The one and only thing doctors were able to understand, was that all those eighteen and under were immune to the pandemic. Children were sent to boot camp to learn survival skills, just a few months before the world truly began to crumble. As the adults in boot camps died off, kids left for home to say goodbye to their dying families once and for all. Most found they were too late, and as a result of that went completely mad, forming gangs and destroying everything in sight, stealing every weapon they could find and preparing themselves to kill. By that point, almost all of the adults were dead, the ones left on their last legs, their soon to be rotting corpses left to the rats that roamed the alleys. The kids ruled the world now, and the future didn't look bright for anyone.

The city of Panem was no exception. Once only a few adults remained, chaos and anarchy exploded everywhere. The city was taken over by the ferocious gang named the Tracker-Jackers, lead by the equally ferocious and bloodthirsty Clove and Marvel. Warring gangs formed, but only a few remained strong against them. All that remained besides the new "leaders" were a few tiny, undetected gangs which called themselves "tribes," and those that belonged to neither, simply known as strays. Strays were seen as easy-prey, no hope of surviving, roaming the streets desperate for food, only to caught quickly with a knife in their back, screaming until they were too weak to keep going, dying slowly.

Like the rest of the world, Panem was going to be wiped out. Starvation would take the survivors of the Virus, or they would all kill eachother.

xxxx


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

The streets of Panem were filled with garbage, broken glass, silence, and most of all, death. Death clung to everything in sight, the rotting corpses in the alleys, the splattered blood on the streets from fights with the gangs, and most of all, the memories that surrounded each and every survivor. When they had left their home this morning for the last time, most likely to be trashed, looted, or burnt down, Katniss Everdeen had thought of it as a new start, getting rid of the place that had surrounded her all her life, the place she watched her mother die in, the place her sister Prim had had the worst nightmares imaginable, ready to take that chapter and burn it to a crisp. Now, she wasn't so sure. The nightmares and the memories of mass-burials, bloodshed and decay would always remain, no matter where they ran.

The country. That was where the dark-haired girl was heading. Hopefully it wouldn't be like waking up each morning like it had been in the city, a constant slap in the face, reminding her of the life her and Prim, while most of the time quite hard, were desperate to get back. The country areas were where, one the boot-camps had failed, the children and teenagers were being evacuated. Most refused to go, staying with their loved ones, clinging onto hope that it wouldn't be _them _going next, while other ones who had nothing left and resisted the temptations of going completely nuts and dying an early death, went. They were meant to be taken to clean, country homes to live with foster parents until the Virus was cleared up, but when arriving, most were dead. Katniss was thinking of going, but though she absolutely hated her city, she couldn't turn her back on her sister. Her sister, until her mother's last breath, was clinging to the hopes it would all get better… until it was too late. Now, her sister knew of this harsh new world all too well, it was her who discovered their mother dead. Katniss was trying to protect Prim to the best of her ability, being the only thing she had left to really live for, and to the older girl, the country was their best option.

Peering out into the street from behind a pile of rotten wood, sirens from the police car the Tracker-Jackers had stolen from the station as the fact the world was screwed became more and more widely known, deafening, she urged Prim to keep her head down. That was when she noticed something that made her heart race. The car was going to come around the corner any second, and in the middle of the street stood a girl about the age of Prim, wandering. The Tracker-Jackers would certainly pick her up. She thought for one split second about leaving her, but the picture of Prim standing in the street filled her mind, filling her will horror. As the police car sped round the corner, Katniss raced out, grabbing the girl, covering her mouth in case she shouted out in fear, leading her over to where her and her sister had been hiding. Keeping her mouth covered until the danger passed, luckily undetected, she turned to the girl, who looked quite shocked.

"Thank you.." she said softly, peering up at Katniss as she recovered from the events that had just happened. "I have no idea what came over me. I just couldn't move at all."

"It's alright, you're safe now." Katniss hoped her words wouldn't come and stab her in the back. "I'm Katniss, and this is my sister, Primrose. What's your name?" As she waited for her answer, she peered around the streets, wondering if any more danger would fill the streets in the next minute. New horrors come come around at any time. Only the alert had a larger chance of surviving.

"Rue." she answered with a small nod. "Are you both in a tribe?"

"No. It's just Prim and me." Katniss responded. "Do you have anyone that survived? Family… friends?"

"I did, five younger ones… but I lost them. My mother sent them down to the train station to be evacuated, but she wanted me to stay with her in the last few days…" Rue stared down at the cement, fiddling with a button on her worn dark brown coat.

"The country. Katniss and I are heading that way… maybe you could come with us?" Prim's blue eyes went over to Katniss, hoping she hadn't said the wrong thing. Her sister had saved this girl from the Tracker-Jackers after all, for a reason unknown to her. Her sister gave her a nod. She hadn't saved her from the Tracker-Jackers for nothing. Scanning the now empty streets once more, the three went off, trying to hold onto hope of a new, better life out in the country.

xxxx

The large area covered in gravel, blackened and covered in graffiti and blood used to be a used car salesyard. Nowadays, you could never tell, except for a few stray car parts strung across the yard and scraps of the semi-burnt banners that once were hung up close to the gates. Looking around the yard, gravel crunching underneath her feet as she paced the salesyard, Glimmer sighed. This was possibly the dumbest thing she and her friend Thresh had ever gotten themselves into. Brushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face, she absentmindedly went to check her watch… only to remember she had traded it to get items for this ridiculous deal. Did her 'old friend' Cato really think that gathering up some promised goods and proving their useless would get them into the Tracker- Jackers just like that? It would mean almost guaranteed protection from the other insane rival gangs, but also a nasty death if things went wrong. She had already seen enough Tracker-Jacker victims in the past few months, and no doubt she and her companions would be joining them if this went badly.

"Are you sure we were meant to come _now? _What if we were meant come a few hours ag-" Glimmer continued to pace, before being cut off abruptly by Cato.

"He'll keep his word. " Cato responded with a scowl directed at the blonde. "So what if he's a little late? It'll be worth it. You can hear the sirens in the distance, can't you?"

"Those sirens could belong to any of the gangs! The city's a complete warzone." Thresh muttered, looking out into the direction of the large black gates which were wide open, awaiting the arrival of the Tracker-Jackers' car. He had never liked Cato, ever since they first met about five months ago, when the last adults were finally gone and the whole world was left to the children. He and Glimmer, who he had become unlikely friends with after being forced to become partners in Biology for a term a few months before the Virus became widely-known, had been staying in a boutique, not his ideal choice but it proved a great hiding place. The two had gathered quite a lot of food and were well-defended, settling into a routine of some sort when Cato burst in one night, looking for food and shelter. Thresh would've slit his throat straight away, but Glimmer recognised him as an old friend from her childhood, who had moved away when the two were twelve. He had come back to Panem after the death of his parents, wanting to get away from the bad memories, and quickly made allies with Glimmer and the reluctant Thresh. Thresh had thought of leaving, but as much as he hated Cato as much as Cato hated him and both had often wondered if they would wake up catching the other trying to kill them in their sleep, it was safer in numbers with all of the gangs around. Glimmer was painfully oblivious to their burning hatred of one another/

"The whole _world _is a warzone, you idiot!" Cato retorted instantly, just as the sound of the sirens coming closer filled their ears. The car burst through the open gates, sirens still blaring, giving Thresh what felt like an instant headache. Picking up the goods he hoped would get him a spot in the gang, he turned back to his two 'companions' quickly. "I'll handle the talking."

"Fine with me," Thresh shrugged, staying behind the other boy.

"And one more thing – make sure to try your hardest to _not _get us turned into minced meat." Glimmer said to him sharply, returning the scowl he had given her earlier. The sirens finally stopped, as the two leaders left the car walking closer to the three, no emotion on their faces. Marvel, who was quite taller than his co-leader, Clove, had eyes that looked exactly like ice, courtesy of contacts. His markings on his left cheek, something the gangs had taken to mark what gang they were in, was a dark red, meant to look like splattered blood. He, as well as Clove, were dressed completely in black, besides the occasional bloodstain here and there. Clove shared the same markings, only with a dark black marking underneath her right eye, a symbol of some sort, what it was meant to represent unknown to the three. Knives were strapped to the sides of Clove's pants, her kills with them known in the city widely for one main reason: _she never missed. _Marvel preferred handmade spears, though he used the occasional knife. Both were feared all over the city, even by some of the lower-ranked Tracker-Jackers.. Cato wasn't afraid. In fact, he respected the two for being able to inflict so much terror and pain.

"Marvel, Clove… I got everything you asked for." he held the bag out. Marvel looked down at the large bag, snatching it out of his hands quickly as she quickly fished through the contents. It was full of batteries, torches, any gadget that would help with survival was in there… along with the occasional weapon, just for good measure. To his surprise, Marvel quickly shut the bag, throwing it at Cato's feet, looking quite disgusted. Clove's eyes darted to the dark blue bag Glimmer had slung over her shoulder, grinning slyly.

"What's in that bag?" she addressed Glimmer sharply, no emotion in her voice.

"Food. We only have eno-" Glimmer began to responded, but as cut off by Clove. The dark-haired girl slowly stepped closer to the blonde, the draw out the 'suspense,' grabbing the bag from her, staring at her like she was just a lowly insect that she could crush in a singly second. Joining Marvel once more, she passed the bag to him, as he began to fish through it like the bag he rejected. Clove's gaze locked on Cato.

"I do have a question, an important one at that. Why do you want to be Tracker-Jacker?" she asked, the same sly grin that had been there earlier returning again. Cato hadn't prepared himself for a question-and-answer session, but managed to mask being unprepared as much as he could.

"Because you're the strongest and most powerful gang in town, and you're really…. really…." he paused, cursing at himself in his head. Getting stuck on his words now?! He was almost guaranteed a goner.

"Really _what?" _Clove questioned coldly as Cato searched around him for inspiration. His eyes locked on some graffiti that was barely legible: TRACKER-JACKERS ARE SCANDALOUS! It would have to do with such little time left.

"You're…. you're scandalous!" he answered. The yard fell quiet. Glimmer's eyes swerved to Thresh, who looked quite puzzled at the sudden silence. Then, after what seemed like an eternity for the the three, Marvel threw back his head and burst out laughing, the other Tracker-Jackers joining him in a matter of seconds. Cato could feel himself at boiling point. He _despised _being laughed at, making him feel weak. Without even thinking, he picked up the bag Marvel had thrown at his feet earlier, shoving it at the leader's stomach, sending him to the floor, immediately starting to run in the direction of the yard's open gates, Glimmer and Thresh following close behind.

"After them!" screamed Clove as Marvel scrambled to his feet, racing after the three, now craving blood. Racing around endless street corners, dodging garbage cans and debris, the three found themselves at what seemed to be a dead end, the large wall that would lead them to safety much to tall to climb, even for Thresh, the tallest. Now a fair distance from the Tracker-Jackers, Cato searched for something that could get them over and quickly. Spotting two crates near the entrance of the dead-end, he grabbed them quickly, Glimmer climbing up first, Cato almost throwing her to the ground to safety. then climbing over himself as the Tracker-Jackers made their appearance. As he was halfway over, a thought crossed his mind. It wouldn't exactly be fair to leave the Tracker-Jacker's with nothing, even after after mocking him… and Thresh wouldn't mind sacrificing himself for them… would he? Kicking the crates over to their side, he grinned.

"Cato, what are you doing?!" Thresh shouted angrily as the screeches of the Tracker-Jackers became louder and louder, the sound of boots on concrete filling their ears.

"Well, we couldn't exactly leave the Tracker-Jackers with nothing, could we?" Cato smirked. "A little sacrifice for us? It was nice being allies, _friend, _but all good things must come to an end…" he continued as he jumped over the wall, the Tracker-Jackers catching up to Thresh and starting to beat him as he tried to fight back.

"Where's Thresh?' Glimmer asked, worry on her face as Cato grabbed her shoulder, sighing. They had almost reached the end of the passage. She winced as she heard him screaming.

"They got him! We better save ourselves… Thresh would've wanted us to!" he shouted the last part in Thresh's direction. "Run! Knowing them, they'll find a way over once they're finished with him, and we need to find something to eat for tonight." Reluctantly, Glimmer started to run again, Cato taking one final look at the wall. He got what was coming to him, after all this time waiting. Marvel would get what he deserved someday as well… he'd make sure of it.

xxxx


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The city of Panem was now completely in darkness, but the sirens and screams kept on. Turning on her torch to it's lowest setting, just in case of it drawing attention to themselves if attackers lurked around the corner, Katniss and her group continued to walk through the night. The oldest girl had now realised her idea to be out of the city by nightfall was rather delusional. It would probably take another day, give or take with all of the danger the city held. She hoped her efforts weren't for nothing. There had to be something out there, something she could fix up and make her own, something worth defending. Shining her light on a stone wall, she quickly climbed up, eyes on what lurked behind it. An old, trashed playground, the only thing baring a resemblance to a playground once being there being the remains of a slide, and a swing set looking as it was about to topple any second at one wrong move. Making sure her knife was firmly clenched in her hand, she searched through the area for anyone that could be waiting for a kill. Once satisfied with her findings, she held a hand out for Prim, quickly helping her over, doing the same for Rue. The place would serve for a nice resting spot.

Sitting down beside the broken slide, Katniss took her bag from her shoulder, the girls sitting down next to her. Taking out half a loaf of stale bread, she tried hard not to look miserable. Other than that, all she had was half a can of sweetcorn and some tinned meat. The food would now have to be strictly rationed, or starvation would easily take her like it had taken many of the city survivors she had seen on visits outside to see if she could find anything while her and Prim were still hold up in their old home. Stealing from the gangs, or even attempting it would be suicide, all supermarkets were occupied by gangs and had been looted, as well as warehouses. She had only managed to get what little she had from the pantry at her old home.

"We don't have much, so we'll need to ration it out carefully." Katniss took a can opener from her bag as well as the corn, grinning as she heard the can open. The opening of a can and the sound of her sister's laugh were the only things she liked anymore, the first being quite depressing, and the other being extremely rare. Rue took her small backpack off her shoulders, taking out what she had, which was simply a packet of crackers, five slices of bread, a small photograph of what Katniss presumed was her family, and a homemade slingshot with a few rocks she had collected to use to defend herself.

"Here's what I have… not much, but it's something." Rue nodded, sliding the crackers over to Katniss, who gave her a smile. The crackers could last them a few days, the bread if it was rationed properly, maybe a little more. As Katniss was about to take out a slice, she heard the sound of someone climbing over the fence, cursing to themselves as they fell, and then another voice, a man's voice muttering as he presumably helped them up. Shining his torch on her, he smirked.

"What do we have here? Some trespassers…" Katniss held up her knife and her torch, ready to kill if it was needed, though she hoped it wouldn't come down to it. With all the had happened in the last few months, she didn't want to spill even more blood. After studying the guy, it didn't seem likely, looking as if he could over power her quickly.. but she could try. She hadn't killed before, but she had seen death quite a number of times in her life. Her father's coffin at his funeral when she was eleven, the Virus taking her mother, watching the gangs brutally stab a fourteen year old over and over, until she died painfully on the sidewalk, rotting corpses as she ducked and hid from the gangs, and the gangs killing more. She was wondering when the day would come when she'd have to kill, at first thinking it would only happen if she did something she would never do, join one of the gangs, but as more danger came up day after day, killing soon seemed like it would become a likely option, as much as she didn't want it to have to come to that option.

"Trespassers?" Katniss questioned, looking back at Prim and Rue for a split second, as they quickly packed their food up, ready to run if he tried to attack.

"I own this patch, which means that you're trespassing. I'm sure we could come to an agreement, if you so _kindly_ gave us your food…" Katniss was beginning to have her suspicions. There were only two of them… they couldn't possibly have their own gang. They would've killed them by now, or others would've burst in to take slaves. Ignoring his last 'request,' she tried to keep a smirk off her face as she answered.

"Hm, you own this patch? What tribe?" she retorted, keeping her knife raised, clenching it so tight she began to lose circulation in that hand.

"You haven't heard of us? You must be an idiot… or new to this city." he replied, Katniss ready to answer when she felt Rue whisper her name behind her, pointing to the fence. Staring up at where she pointed, she was able to make out some faces. As she lit her torch on one, a dark-haired girl with red markings, her group with almost the same, she knew exactly who they were, Tracker-Jackers. Almost on command, they broke down the fence, pointing to the girl and boy Katniss had now realised they had followed here.

"Get them!" the leader, Marvel shouted, the boy and girl ready to bolt. Prim and Rue, bags slung over their shoulders, looked over to Katniss.

"Let's get out of here!" Katniss shouted, climbing over the fence on the other side, helping her sister and Rue up quickly, as a Tracker-Jacker tried to grab her. Kicking him in the face, she ran as fast as she could, throwing her torch, though a risky move leaving her completely in the dark, at a trash can, knocking it over, hoping to lead him in the wrong direction. This had certainly been an eventful day… Too eventful for her liking.

xxxx

As the sounds of the sirens and screams of the gangs became louder, Peeta Mellark ran through the forest, dimly lit torch guiding his way. They probably weren't chasing him, just going home for the night. It had to be about nine or ten by now. Quickly looking around for followers, he pushed the wood that had been concealing the tunnel away from the entrance, quickly pushing it back as he entered, lighting his torch on his surroundings, hearing a strained yelp of fear crossed with surprise.

"Madge? It's just me…" he said to his companion softly, stepping closer to the bench she was laying on. As she saw him, she smiled weakly, dark circles under her eyes becoming more obvious as he laid his eyes on her.

"You're back… did you find anything?" she asked wrapping his jacket he had left her with this morning tightly around herself, shivering slightly. He sat down beside her, taking a few things from his rucksack. He wondered when to tell her. He had suggested going back to the city about a week ago, a risky move, but it would be better for here there if he could find her a better place to sleep. Staying in this cold, dark, damp tunnel any longer would only mean one thing… getting sick, and neither of them could afford that. She had protested greatly at his words, and he had decided to not mention it for awhile.

"A few things. Are you and the baby okay?" he responded, giving her a smile in return. What had happened in the last few months had gone by so, so quickly. The death of his parents, Madge coming knocking on his door after the deaths of hers, having nowhere to turn, telling him she was pregnant. He had taken her in, gotten her food, kept her safe through all the anarchy. He knew exactly whose it was… and he couldn't leave her. It wouldn't be right. She was basically family to him now. His only family left, after the pandemic had killed his parents and older brothers.

"We're fine." she nodded. He passed her a slice of bread, taking one for himself. The tunnel was quiet… eerily quiet, the only sound coming from a drip of water coming from the roof. She took the bread, taking a bite. It reminded him of his former home. He had gone back there a few days ago… quite the mistake. It was completely trashed, the kitchen was burnt-out, and the place was full of broken glass and memories… most from the last few days… the absolute worst, just before Madge knocked on his door, giving him something he had to live for. "Thank you." she said to him after she took another bite. It wasn't much, but everyday she and the baby continued to stay alive gave Peeta hope.

"I…" he began, taking a bite of his bread, wondering how to continue. She'd protest… until he found shelter. That's what he'd have to do. Maybe, if he found a place to sleep, a place he could call their own, she'd warm up to his idea, slightly. This tunnel wouldn't last. They'd either die of starvation, sickness, or the gangs would find them. He tried not to think about it, for the sake of hers and the child's. "I.. I'm glad." he continued quickly. "You should sleep, get ready for tomorrow." Finishing her last bite of bread, she took off his jacket, using it as a pillow, laying her head down on it, and slowly falling into a gentle sleep. Peeta joined her quickly. Maybe the dawn of a new day would change things for the better? He doubted, but he had to at least try and hope…

xxxx

Now out of the Tracker-Jackers path, Katniss and her group found themselves in the carpark, of what Katniss remembered as a shopping mall. She had visited it often before the outbreak, getting chops from Haymitch, the butcher, who she swore was actually drunk on the job once or twice, passing the clothing store on the first level, run by a man named Cinna, full of gorgeous and unique designs. In the light, she swore one of them appeared to have caught fire. She remembered watching a hairdresser by the name of Venia dye a woman's hair a bright orange, to match her lipstick. She remembered working after school in Seam Records, and taking Prim up to the café for a milkshake afterwards, especially after the Virus started to destroy every adult in it's path, to keep her away from the frightening television broadcasts for a little longer. For some strange reason, the banana and strawberry flavouring was found to be quite comforting.

Warily feeling for the rails of a staircase, she wished she still had her torch. Pushing herself up the stairs, she stared up at the ghostly darkness of the mall, only lit by some small glow-in-the-dark lights hanging from the ceiling. She immediately recognised coming here, all of the memories of her old life returning. Her gaze looked up to the statue of the said to be extinct bird from centuries ago, the Mockingjay, in the middle of the room.

"I'll go take a look around." Katniss shivered at the echo of her voice. Stepping up the staircase of the mall, she stared at the café that greeted her, somehow tasting the strawberry and banana milkshake as she looked at the menu covered in graffiti, though she hadn't had one in months. As Prim and Rue joined her at the café entrance, that voice back in the ruins of the playground echoed around the mall.

"Where were we, before we were rudely interrupted? I remember, you were giving us all of your foo-" he smirked, stepping inside the mall with the girl, only to have a large metal grille land in front of him. He immediately began to shout threats and curses. The three girls stared at the cage is disbelief. Someone else was obviously here…

"How the hell did you do that?!" the girl screamed, turning back to the entrance of the mall. "We'll find another way in," she scowled, only to have another metal grille come down, and another two at their sides… enclosing the two in a cage. Racing up to the bars, rattling them, the two began to shout even more curses.

"Open this up. Open this up right now, or you'll regret it. I'll make sure to make it very painful when I kill you three. I'll give you until the count of ten. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Si-" the boy shouted, as he was cut off by a smaller voice, accompanied with the same tiny, almost inaudible footsteps.

"Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten… that was quite the empty threat, wasn't it?" Katniss stared up at the girl that had joined them near the café entrance. The lights did nothing to show her appearance. She turned two the three, giving what appeared in the dark as a sly smirk. "I'm Finch…"

xxxx


	4. Chapter Three

**A/N: Thank you so much for 500 views, and all of your reviews! To the guest - I cannot confirm Rue will be 100% safe through the fic, but she'll most likely make it out alive. **

Chapter Three

After introducing herself, Finch looked down at the two she had caught in the grille, smiling to herself. After discovering it, she knew it would come in handy. She preferred to work on her own, live on her own, and overall just keep away from people, but now that food supplies were low she had to find someone to keep around for awhile. It was just too messy. The only person she really minded being around was her father, spending her Saturdays in his electrics shop in the mall, watching him fiddle with wires and sockets, fixing toasters, clock radios and many more items while working on some of his own gadgets on the side when days were slow. Finch watched his every move as he worked, studying his techniques and what he did and manipulating them as she worked on her own creations. She absolutely despised school, more than anything the idiots that came with it, who had given her a _stupid, stupid _nickname… Foxface.

After the Virus had ravaged Panem and the rest of the world, she had taken to the mall, hiding up in her father's workshop, taking whatever was left in the supermarkets, (this was before the mall had been looted for the first time, in which she had hid in a locked supply closet until they were gone with her relatively lard supply of food, she left only a small bit of it in the café) a mattress from the bedding and furniture store, and any gadgets from her father's shop, setting to work on traps for intruders. Fighting face-to-face wasn't one of her strongest areas.

"Finch?" Katniss had recognised that name from somewhere, getting a strange memory from school of a boy throwing an apple in a redhead's direction, calling her something to do with foxes, and her saying something back that sounded a lot like that name. "Nice to meet you… thank you for what happened down there."

"It's fine. It's what you do with feral animals after all, lock them up." Finch responded. "I'll show you around…" she continued, just as the sound of a loud thunderstorm echoed around the mall. "It'd be rather stupid to go back out there now." she lead the three into the café, opening a cupboard. Rue, by mistake, had gotten her hopes up that all six shelves would be filled with food. She lived in a mall, didn't she? A mall that had probably been looted before her arrival…. Only two shelves were half-full, one holding two tins of meat, three tins of baked beans, a can of diced tomatoes, and a jar of pickles. The other held four muesli bars, a jar of marmalade, and three bottles of water. "All I have is this, so we'll have to share."

"We'll talk about trading later… how about we go on with the tour?" Katniss said quickly, wondering whether she could be trusted. No one could, these days. The only person she could trust fully was Prim, but she was warming up to Rue, though she still had a few small doubts. Finch nodded, leading them out of the café, past the sweet shop, and into another shop… which once taking in was _heaven _to Katniss. Beds… warm, soft beds with thick blankets, and once inspecting them… feather pillows!

"Do you like it?" Finch asked, knowing immediately from the dark circles under the teenager's eyes that the three were most likely tired, and this would most likely make them stay. The rain had helped as well. Then, with the comforts of a warm bed, their food would be hers… If they were good with weapons, and defence, maybe they could stay a little longer until she got her alarm system working. It wouldn't hurt for awhile, would it? A little tribe…

"Of course! A warm bed… real feather pillows…" Prim grinned, stroking the soft sheets. "Katniss… can we stay tonight?" she continued, looking over at her sister and Finch.

"It would be fine… after all, there's a storm out there." Finch tried to keep another smirk from forming. "We can do some trading, work something out tomorrow." Katniss looked over at her sister, then at Rue, and then back at Finch. Would she try to kill them in their sleep? She seemed quiet enough, but it could be an obvious act… but why did she trap the two from outside?

"Alright... but just for tonight." Katniss told her sister, semi-reluctantly. Though it would be hard, with only five hours sleep from the night before under her belt and a warm bed to crawl into, she'd stay awake, knife in hand to guard. Liars were everywhere, even more than in the old world, these days…

xxxx

The next morning, the noise from the cage began once more. From her bed, Katniss had heard the girl complaining so much she had wondered how the boy could stand it, actually starting to feel sorry for him, him telling her to shut the hell up at least three times, before she had screamed at him that her makeup was most likely running, and because of him she had no mirror to fix it. It had gotten rather comical after a few hours.

Shoving the covers off her, finding Rue and Prim already up, she walked across to the café to find the two, accompanied with Finch, eating a breakfast of baked beans. Grabbing her serving off the counter, she joined them.

"Sleep well?" Rue asked between bites. Katniss gave a nod, trying to have manners as she ate… but the food had surprised her. It was piping hot. Giving Finch an expression telling 'how did you do this?' the redhead mouthed 'camp cooker.' She was certainly smart… and resourceful, making Katniss wonder whether she should stay a little longer. Someone this clever could make a great person to have on her side. Katniss could forage for food in the day, even though chances of finding something were slim, taking care of the other three, if she negotiated with Finch.

Thoughts of the country being not what she thought it would be came to her sometimes, mostly during the darkest of nights. What if it wasn't a fresh start, just some fresh air masked as a safe haven, with nothing worth having? Gangs could've formed in the country, as well. Thinking it through a little more, trying to drown out the small chatter between Prim and Rue, she couldn't just turn her back on the city, as easy as she thought it had been merely a few hours ago. She had grown up in it, gone through the birth of Prim, helping her grow, the death of her father and helping her parents through, meeting the only friend she had at school, now presumably dead or in hiding. Sure, many hardships had occurred, but it had been the place where she and Prim had grown up… she couldn't cower away and leave it for the gangs to tear to pieces.

"Hey!" the guy in the cage screamed, rattling the bars like he had done last night. "Where's ours?" Finch put down her empty plate, walking over to the rails of the balcony.

"Who said we had to feed you? We could leave you two there to starve…" she said to him, as the boy grew even more annoyed.

"You wouldn't have the guts…" he responded.

"Really? Let's see…" Finch walked away from the rails, taking hers, Rue's and Prim's empty plates to the sink, getting ready to wash them. She had a water supply in the tank on the roof, set up ages ago. It had served her well, but every drop was precious. Last time she had checked, the supply was bordering on half-full, yet. She hadn't told her 'visitors' yet, not until they asked if they could stay. They would, if she played her cards right.

"Cato! I'm starving!" the blonde whined. "Come on, you can't starve us!"

Finch paced around the kitchen. "Hmm… I could take pity… just this once." she took another plate, sliding it underneath the bars. "You are aware we're letting you go this afternoon, aren't you?"

"Letting us go? What do you mean?" the girl asked.

"Back on the streets, of course." Finch replied.

"No… I don't want to go back out there, with all the gangs…"

"Sorry.. it's just how it is."

She turned away from the bars, grinning.

xxxx

It was around noon when Prim found Katniss in the bookshop, flicking through an old novel, seemingly restless. The young blonde was wondering how she'd react. The city… while it held pain, it also held some good memories she didn't want to give up… every birthday, every friend, every laugh… though it hurt sometimes, the good memories she had in Panem gave her hope, something she had almost lost until finding this place. It somehow made her feel… safe.

"Prim?" Katniss slammed the book shut as her sister came into her line of sight. Climbing up onto of the counter her sister was sitting at, saying a quick hello, afterwards the room stayed silent for a few minutes as the smaller girl wondered what to say. She settled on something simple.

"I like this place." she said softly, looking around at the bookshop. It was painted a salmon colour, a few wooden shelves still standing, half-broken, others in pieces on the floor. Books littered the floor, graffiti all over the walls. The front windows were completely smashed.

"I guess I do too." Katniss responded with a small nod, as the silence that managed to bother her greatly crept up again. She decided to get to what Prim was probably hinting at. "Do you want to stay here?"

"I guess so… what if there's nothing in the country, or if something happens? I was talking to Rue earlier… and she was wondering about asking Finch if she could stay. This place makes me feel safe again…"

"Like the old times?" Katniss gripped her sister's hand, ignoring her other words. She didn't want to think about the possibilities.

"Kind of." Prim replied. "This place… it could make a good shelter. Finch has warm beds, more food than us… maybe we could last longer?"

"L-last longer? Prim… we're survivors." Katniss tried to reassure herself as she spoke. If this made her sister feel safer… maybe she could ask? She didn't want her sister to feel any worse. The Virus… it had ravaged the world of it's adults… and _hope. _The idea of making this place a home, instead of risking it again, out in the open, made her feel slightly calmer. "I'll talk to Finch." she jumped off the counter, giving Prim a smile, which her younger sister returned.

Knocking on the door next to the bookshop, carefully stepping in, Finch bent over what appeared as a strange black box with wires coming out of it in all directions, some weird contraption she couldn't put a name to. The amber-eyed girl looked up, giving the brunette a strained smile.

"Katniss?" she addressed her, taking off her goggles and walking closer, constantly looking back at the contraption, as if it would burst into flames at any second. The room made Katniss feel slightly uneasy, parts askew all over the room, the only sign of it being a bedroom a light blue mattress, covers thrown over it and clothes folded in the corner. The rest… looked like it belonged in a lair.

"Finch… I've been thinking… this place, it's a perfect shelter. We could work together, share what we have, and defend ourselves. I know how to use a crossbow, I can hunt if I can get my hands on one, and I can forage for food daily." Katniss said slowly, wondering how she would react. Finch had a strange feeling about her, a strange feeling that meant she liked to work alone.

"You hunt? That could work. I'm working on an alarm system. I have the grille in front, but there's another way, through the sewers that the gangs can use to get in." Finch responded, knowing her plan had worked. "I like it…"

"We're like allies… trading what we have, and maybe, maybe surviving…" Katniss nodded, the thought of the two in the cage coming back to her. "What about those two? You said you'd let them go… but what if they come back with company, and you don't have your alarm system ready? The grille is strong, but it wouldn't hold a group of Tracker-Jackers for long." Finch appeared to be in 'deep thought' for a few minutes, before whispering something Katniss could only understand in small chunks, something that she could gather as "built…allies…talk…side…" Something that made zero sense, but once leaving, soon understood.

Approaching the bars of the cage, she began to think of what to say.

"Come to let us go?" the guy, which Katniss remembered the girl calling Cato spoke to her quickly.

"Not exactly. We've been talking… maybe we could figure something out." Katniss responded, just as quick as he had supplied his answer.

"Whatever it is, we're not inter-" Cato began, only to be cut off by the blonde girl.

"He doesn't mean it. Is it about staying? I want to stay… out there, with the gangs, it's a zoo. At least here, there's a chance of survival."

"Glimmer, shut up and let me talk." Glimmer? Katniss held back a laugh. That couldn't be her real name… it just couldn't…

"No, Cato. I want to stay. What were you going to say?" she addressed Katniss.

"You two could stay… but on our terms. We share whatever we get, work together as allies, and try, just try to make it in this place."

"I'll take it."

"Glimmer, I-"

"Cato, shut up. The Tracker-Jackers will find us again, hunt us down, and probably do something like tying us up and that _girl _with the knives throwing them at our vital organs… _We'll _take it."

Looking down from the balcony, Finch slowly began to open up the cage. Feeling her two braids, Glimmer looked up at Finch.

'Where's the nearest mirror?!" she squeaked.

"Snow's Antiques, to your left." Finch responded, the girl racing off to check her reflection, screaming as she caught sight of it.

xxxx


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N: The ending to the last chapter has been changed, so you may want to re-read it!**

Chapter Four

By the time six had rolled around, the newcomers had adjusted to the mall, claiming their own rooms. Glimmer had immediately called the boutique, looking as if she was about to cry when she saw all of the leftover clothes, which Katniss thought were the ugliest things she'd ever seen, Cato took Snow's Antiques next door, Katniss claimed Mason Records, where she used to work, which was two doors down from Cato, Prim took the florists just around the corner, and Rue had taken the sweet shop upstairs.

Knowing what was coming, Katniss and Rue gave their food over to Finch, but not without the two making a pact beforehand. Katniss still had her doubts about Finch, and so did the twelve-year old, so they both created their own food-store, with a little bit of food they had kept for themselves underneath Rue's bed… just in case Finch would scam them and they had to escape quickly. Prim was also in on it. The three knew it was wrong, but it was just a precaution. Going back out onto the streets after escaping an enemy to be faced with the outside gangs once more was one thing, but going out starving was even worse.

Katniss stood in the café, preparing dinner, which consisted of tinned meat and beans. It wasn't much, but she had to make it last. She had already made a mental note of bringing up a strict rationing system at dinner. Placing the food on six plates, she quickly called her group to dinner, taking no time to grab her share and sit down at the table, trying to remember her manners. She could remember the principal's secretary, Miss Trinket, at school always going on about manners. Most of the children absolutely hated her shrill voice and constant 'reminders,' and often did everything they could to irritate her but going out of their way to _not _use manners. Katniss managed a small laugh at the memory.

"Looks good." Prim smiled at her sister, taking her share and sitting down next to her.

"I tried my best. How's the renovation going?" Katniss answered between bites as Cato and Rue joined them at the table. The florists had been completely trashed, broken pottery everywhere, windows smashed, dead flowers all over the place, but Prim still wanted it as her own, the reason being the strong scent of the flowers remaining, reminding her of happier times.

"Quite well, actually. I have enough space to lay a mattress down now." Prim replied as Finch and Glimmer joined them. The rest of the meal went by rather quietly, until Rue suddenly put down her fork, walking over to the rails of the balcony, staring at the sewer door.

"Rue?" Katniss questioned, joining her, wondering if she was having a flashback to the days of the Virus. Prim used to get them, and so did she when they hid out in their old home.

"I sense something… and intruder… in the sewers…" she pointed to the door.

"The kid's nuts. Ignore her." Glimmer rolled her eyes, continuing to eat.

"We can't risk it…" Katniss scowled, stepping down the stairs quickly, taking the only weapon she could find, a table leg, Cato joining her, knife in hand. He opened the door quickly, the two trying to make themselves as quiet as possible as they waited for the supposed danger that Rue had sensed. As she turned around a corner, she was beginning to think Rue had just been imagining it, until she caught sight of a boy climbing the ladder that lead to the manhole cover.

"I'll go after him. He's probably bring back his tribe." Cato told her. Katniss was about to object, but he was already gone. Katniss quickly looked back up at the ladder, turning back slowly, ready to go back, until the crunch of boots alerted her. Was Cato back that quickly? Gripping the table leg tightly, ready to strike if another member of the boy's tribe had come, she waited, until she was faced with the boy that had presumably climbed the ladder. Katniss was about to strike, until he bought his hands up to signal he meant no harm.

"I'm not going to hurt you." he said quickly, keeping his hands where they were. Katniss studied him in the dim light of the sewers. He looked around the same age as her, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked quite strong, and had no war-paint visible. He didn't seem to sound like a Tracker-Jacker… but what did a Tracker-Jacker really sound like?

"Can I really take my chances?" she hissed. "What is your business here?" she continued, though she immediately knew his answer. Food, water, shelter, just like the rest. It was a _mall, _the perfect place to seek refuge.

"Shelter." he answered, just as Katniss expected.

"Like all the rest." she nodded. "What gang?"

"None. I don't need one. I'd rather let them tear each other to pieces than get involved." he stepped closer, Katniss staying where she was, not afraid. He appeared to be unarmed, both arms beside him, neither holding a knife or other weapon, and if he tried to pull one out of his rucksack or sleeve, she'd be able to hit him, knock him out cold before he succeeded. "Peeta." he said hurriedly.

"Katniss." the kids of the city had taken to a first-name basis, finding last names trivial nowadays. The rest of their family, or most of it were dead, so why keep them? It just was a painful memory they'd rather bury deep, deep into the ground. For some reason, she found herself slightly lowering her weapon. He wasn't screaming threats like Cato and Glimmer had been when they had first meet, and trapped them, but that was probably because they weren't armed… not that it would've probably mattered to the two. "I'll let you in… but if something goes missing or you do something I find suspicious, I won't hesitate to strike you."

xxxx

Peeta had proved true to his word of meaning no harm, and Katniss had whipped him up a smaller portion of dinner, wanting to make the food last as he made small-talk with Glimmer… which was basically her boring him to death as she talked on and on about dresses. Placing the plate in front of him, she took her seat next to where Prim had been, her younger sister going back to her sweeping once the danger had passed. Rue quickly got her to leave, telling her about non-existent lipsticks she had found in the pharmacy, leaving as soon as the blonde had to go back to her room to finish setting up. Finch had left ages ago, most likely eager to get back to her crazy gadgets. The café was rather peaceful as the two had a half-conversation, until Cato ran up the stairs, obviously quite annoyed at the wild goose chase Peeta had lead him one, demanding to know why he was here.

"He wasn't armed, and seemed much more civil than you two did when you first arrived. At least we didn't have to lock him up." Katniss retorted, as he left cursing under his breath.

"You'll regret that decision when he slits your throat in your sleep!" he shouted out as he left down the stairs. Katniss dismissed him, giving Peeta brief tour around the mall, omitting some hiding places just in case. He eventually made himself a place in the pharmacy that Glimmer had almost torn to pieces before settling down to sleep. Quickly making himself a hammock out of three blankets, he wished Katniss goodnight and went into a half-sleep.

Around midnight, when the mall was completely still, making it almost risk-free, the blonde boy carefully stepped into the café, opening the wooden doors of the cupboard where the food was stored, taking two cans of corn and one of beans. He knew it was wrong, but Madge and him had to eat, didn't they? He'd repay them later.

xxxx

"And you all thought Loverboy was a saint! He's probably getting ready for an attack, getting ready for his tribe to muscle in and kill us all… I saw through his disguise. You should've listened to me."

Katniss was was ready to find something either sharp, or very heavy and throw it at Cato. He had repeated this at least four times since they had awakened and found some of their meagre rations gone. She immediately sensed that he would also be a very, very sore winner. Opening the cupboard doors ago, she looked at where the missing cans had sat again furiously. How had she believed all this?! Slamming the doors quickly, she heard footsteps below. Turning around quickly, she surveyed the café. Everyone was here. Grabbing the table leg that she had left laying beside the rails of the café, Cato grabbing a knife, the group carefully made their way to the staircase, staring down at the intruder with ice in their eyes. _Traitor. _

Peeta stood at the bottom of the stairs, arm linked with a girl who was obviously pregnant. Was this who the food was for? Katniss shook the thought out of her head. Pregnant girlfriend or not, he still stole her food. Walking down, stopping half-way down the stairs, she raised her weapon.

"What are you doing back here?" she asked, no emotion in her voice. He hadn't exactly mentioned a pregnant girlfriend when they had first met and chatted in the café. She had definitely expected a ferocious gang when, and if he returned.

"This is Madge…" he lead her up the stairs, stopping a few steps in front of Katniss.

"You're having a baby, aren't you?" Prim asked, hoping not to have embarrassed herself. He nodded.

"Yes. Madge and the baby need a place to stay… a-" he responded, to have Cato cut him off.

"No. The last thing we need is a screaming child. It would be practically begging the Tracker-Jackers to attack us." he said firmly with a scowl. Katniss turned to him, giving a small nod. She had only been thinking of the stolen food, not of the threat of a child… and what would happen when the baby came? This world was no place for a child…

"Cato's right… and we don't appreciate thieves." Glimmer added.

"If you would let me speak, I would let you know that I am able to repay you." he retorted, unlinking his arm from Madge's and taking out two cans of peaches and a loaf of bread he had found this morning after sneaking into a warehouse.

"Are you going to let him bribe his way in again with peaches and bread?" Glimmer spat. Katniss looked over at her, though still quite furious at Peeta, telling her to let him speak.

"I wouldn't have stolen if it wasn't for Madge and the baby. She's basically _family." _Peeta addressed Katniss, ignoring Glimmer and Cato completely.

"Even putting the food out of it, it's a baby, another mouth to feed, we barely have enough to feed ourselves. We… we'll need to vote." Katniss answered, struggling to get out her words. Who said he wouldn't run out again? "All in favour of Peeta, Madge and the baby staying?" Prim and Rue raised their hands. "All against?" Finch, Glimmer, and Cato raised theirs.

"What about you Katniss?" Rue asked, noticing she hadn't raised her hand. Katniss sighed, thinking her words through quickly in her head.

"It's a baby, not a doll you can pass around… like I said before, another mouth to feed, another person to defend. I'm going to have to say against." she sighed. Peeta turned away, throwing the bread and cans into his bag.

"Come on, Madge. I'll find you somewhere else. This child is our _future, _and they're going to turn their back on it." he hissed, getting ready to leave. Cato gave a satisfied smirk, Finch turning towards the stairs to get back to her workshop, taking a final look at them leaving, until the girl screamed, almost falling to the floor.

"Madge? Are you alright?" Peeta carefully helped her up, her hands immediately going to her stomach.

"The baby… it's coming, it's really coming!" she shrieked, crying out again.

"What's going on?!" Glimmer asked, turning to Katniss.

"She's in labour." Peeta answered.

"You mean she's actually having the baby?!" Glimmer screamed, sounding surprisingly panicked.

"Come on! Are you all really going to believe this? It's all a trick to let them stay.. like the Mr Nice Guy act last night." Cato shouted.

"It certainly doesn't look like an act to me…" Rue said uneasily. The room fell silent for a brief minute.

"My waters have broken…" Madge mumbled. Katniss began to panic. This certainly wasn't acting. Carefully stepping towards the pair, she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. Turning to the group, she tried to think of what to do.

"The show's over, everybody out. Go make yourselves useful." Katniss ordered, noticing her younger sister making calculations in her head. Their mother had been a nurse, mainly in a maternity ward, and Prim had wanted to follow in her footsteps. When she got old enough to understand them, she started to read through some of her mother's medical books. Giving her a gaze that read 'what do we do?' Prim quickly gave her an answer.

"We'll need to get hot water... blankets… towels… scissors… rubber bands… things for the baby… have I missed anything Peeta?" Prim said quickly, barely understandable.

"You just about covered it. The scissors also need to be sterilized." he replied just as quickly.

"I'll make up a bed in the furniture store." Glimmer said from the café entrance.

"Come on, you're really buying this?!" Cato kept on.

"Cato, we can't kick her out now! Either make yourself useful, or make yourself scarce. Finch, Rue, find us some scissors, hot water, towels, everything Prim asked for. Prim, go with them!" Katniss shouted, a little shocked at herself with how she had taken over. Carefully carrying the girl upstairs, Prim sprang into action, taking Rue with her, while Cato went to simmer in his room. Begrudgingly, muttering something about scarce supplies, Finch went off to grab the water. As she carried Madge up the stairs with Peeta, she felt as if she was about to pass out. The two of them were going to be delivering the baby, together, with no nurses or doctors, in this strange, terrifying new world…

xxxx


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N: Apologies for the shortness of this chapter. NarglesandNightlock, I agree it is quite OOC, but I didn't want to age anyone down. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter Five

"Do any of you know anything about delivering babies?" Katniss questioned to Glimmer and Peeta, the feeling of panic extremely real.

"Me? Are you joking? No way!" Glimmer squeaked. The brunette resisted the urge to roll her eyes.. just as she suspected.

"Not much… I guess we'll have to trust our instincts." Peeta added, looking over at Madge.

"Women have been giving birth for thousands of years, right? It's natural." Katniss responded, looking over in Peeta's direction, wondering when the other members of the group would find them the supplies. "Glimmer, could you go find us some rubber bands and scissors?"

"I'll get right on it…" Glimmer nodded, leaving the room quickly just as Finch came in with a bowl of hot water.

"Use it sparingly… we don't have much." Finch muttered, passing it to Peeta, who gently sat it down next to him on the bed, keeping a hand on it's side to balance it. She left the room just as quickly as she had came, muttering under her breath as she left, most likely going back to her workshop until the drama had ceased. Peeta nodded.

"I'll go see what's going on with the supplies." Peeta gently handed the bowl to Katniss, until Madge placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Peeta… please don't go… I'm scared…" Madge said softly to him. He looked down at her, the blonde looking quite tired and worn down already. They had been traveling since dawn, which didn't help. Passing the bowl back to Peeta, wanting to get out of the room for at least five minutes, she quickly headed towards the door.

"Stay with her… I'll check on it." she stated, almost running down the hall as she left to look around one more time over. This certainly wouldn't be a painless experience, so though it was in vain, she took a brief look around the pharmacy, just in case. No painkillers in sight… only three tubes of toothpaste, Peeta's hammock which had fallen down, and ruins. Not caring at that point whether or not he would be staying after this ordeal, she grabbed the three blankets and left for the furniture store once more, but not before running into Prim.

"The baby store was in ruins… I managed to find a bottle still in the wrapper, a tin of formula, and two outfits…" Prim told her, sounding slightly disappointed. "I think the other stuff would be outside."

"Prim, no. You can't go out there." Katniss told her hurriedly, just as Rue entered.

"I'll go…" Rue said softly. She was quite afraid of the world out there, but for the most part, she knew how to survive. The main way she had survived on her own all of that time before Katniss was her speed, intelligence and resourcefulness.

"Rue, you can't." Katniss said quickly, gaze locked on Rue. Though they looked quite different, Katniss was often reminded of Prim when she looked at Rue. It was the reason she had saved her from the Tracker-Jackers. She didn't want to see her get hurt.

"No, I don't mind. I'm quick, they won't be able to catch me… I know how to hide. I'll be as quick as I can, I promise." Rue replied, quite persistent. Silence fell in the halls for a few seconds, before a cry of Madge broke it, echoing around the whole mall. Wincing as she heard it, Katniss tried to think of an answer. "I can do it." Rue continued.

"Are you sure, Rue?" Prim asked. "If you go, I'll give you my skates, just in case you need to get out of somewhere quickly."

"Katniss!" Peeta shouted from the furniture store, not in a menacing tone, but slightly desperately. "Did you find anything else?

"Blankets… I'll be coming in a second. Prim found a few things in the baby shop." Katniss shouted back. "Rue… I'll let you go.. but stay safe, okay?" her words came out quite slowly, hoping she wasn't going to regret her decision later. She ran into the furniture store, the feeling of panic returning once more. Would Rue come back? She was about to go out again and tell her to stay here, but when she peeked out of the shop, she was gone.

Wishing her good luck in her head, Katniss turned to Madge just as Glimmer arrived with a bar of soap and some rubber bands. This was certainly going to be a long day…

xxxx

Trying to block out the drama, Finch sat herself on her stool next to the silver service cupboard in her workshop. Looking around quickly just in case anyone had come up to bother her, giving herself an all-clear, she took a dark green key out of her pocket, opening the cupboard up with a loud creaking sound. The fox-faced girl had been sitting on a goldmine – all four shelves of the cupboard were filled to the brim with food. Food that her father had stocked her up with in his last few weeks before he himself succumbed to the Virus, and what she had found in the grocery store upon her arrival.

"Damn baby… damn kids… I would've been better off on my own." she thought aloud, picking up a can of pears. "What do I deserve today? Pears. Definitely pears." she grinned, taking a spoon out of the pocket of her brown jacket. As she opened it, taking a first spoonful, footsteps alerted her. Loud footsteps. Footsteps that belonged to Cato.

"Look at what we have here… you had all this stuff and didn't tell us…" he stepped into her line of sight. Slamming the can odf peaches down on her desk, she looked up at him, face sour. His eyes immediately darted to the labels on the cans. As she went to slam it shut, he grabbed her wrists so tight she swore she was going to feel them break in any moment.

"Judging by their appetites it'd be gone in a few weeks." Finch snapped through gritted teeth. "I can't afford that. It's all I have-"

"Let's get to the good stuff… no need for the nonsense, right? If they found out about this, it may bring out something in them that you'd rather not want to see… I saw that once before, in a gang. One guy stole from the rest, a carton of apples, and the next thing his head was rolling on the ground. You're too pretty to die yet, don't you think? You don't want your blood on the floor, do you?" he taunted. "I'll strike you a deal, give or take."

"And what would that be?" she shot back, his grip tightening. That was it. The snap of him soon to be breaking her wrists played over in her head.

"I won't tell the others, in exchange for whatever food I want… whenever I want… Oh, and double water." he smirked.

"You've got to be joking…" she responded.

"Do I really look like the type to have time to joke around? What do you say? This is my final offer." he muttered.

"Fine." she answered, furious at giving in… but she hadn't exactly wanted her head on a platter.

"Good." he let her go quickly, Finch almost losing her balance. Taking two cans of food, she walked out. Brushing strands of red out of her face, she sighed, wondering how long he'd keep his end of the bargain.

xxxx

By eight, Rue had successfully gathered some more items for the baby… and some Tracker-Jackers on her tail. Gripping the basket she had found next to a dumpster to serve as a crib tightly, she hid behind a set of shrubs, hoping the cover would last her while they passed.

"The little thing must've gone that way!" Clove screamed, pointing to the left. Rue resisted giving a sight of relief, just in case it gave her away. In the past, she had learned that the Tracker-Jackers somehow had amazing hearing.

"We'll get her! Power and chaos!" Marvel said back, chanting the motto as they drove down the road as the gang repeated it. It gave her shivers Everytime she heard it. It was the way they said it, in their sick, twisted tone. Quickly peering for danger, she skated in the other direction. She was sure she had gotten everything, and it would only be another few hours until the baby would arrive, right?

Hiding behind a large rock, she took the skates off, racing in the direction of the mall, hoping she was well-out of the way of the ferocious gang that had tracked her. As she took off the manhole cover, tossing the skates and basket containing the other goods she had found down as gently as she could, she climbed the ladder down, the pained screams of Madge filling her ears immediately. Covering the hole, she carefully entered the mall, where she found Prim waiting anxiously on the stairs, accompanied by a seemingly bored Glimmer, who was painting her nails a bright pink. There was no sign of Cato or Finch anywhere.

"Rue! You're back!" Prim managed a weak smile. Climbing the stairs, setting her findings beside her.

"I take it it's still going on… any news?" Rue asked as she took a seat, watching Glimmer dry her right hand frantically by waving it around in the air. Only Glimmer, with that ridiculous name that just couldn't be her real one, would be painting her nails in a world like this.

"Um… nothing much.. but by judging by the screams getting worse, I think it should be coming soon." Prim nodded.

"It's taking so long…" Glimmer whined as she began to paint her other hand, as Finch appeared with another bowl of water.

"She's in the third stage of labour now… three bowls of precious water used…" Finch stomped off the the furniture store. For some reason, it made Rue laugh.

"I want mom!" Madge shrieked from the furniture store, making the three on the stairs grimace, Glimmer messing the paint of her middle finger up as she jumped.

"Madge, you're doing great! Keep pushing!" Katniss screamed as Finch re-emerged.

"I can't believe it! Their actually delivering it!" Finch said in almost disbelief to the girls on the stairs. "They asked for me to find some scales… It'll be coming soon." she raced off.

"We can see the head!" Katniss raced out of the room, grinning to the group. Prim's eyes widened, she hadn't seen her sister smile like that in forever. New life could do miraculous things.

"Katniss, quick! Keep pushing, Madge!" Peeta called.

"I can't!" Madge cried, Katniss speeding back into the store. She couldn't believe it. She was actually doing it.

"I am never having children." Glimmer muttered, just as Madge's screams of pain became deafening, and the first cries of a baby were heard.

"It's a boy!" Katniss called out. The three raced up to the furniture store, eager to catch a glimpse of what would be the start of the next generation, the dawn of a new day in this awful, terrifying new world.

The child was _hope._

xxxx


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N: A rewritten Chapter Six. I hope you enjoy. Please R/R! Thank you so much for over 1,000 views!**

Chapter Six

After she had just about forced Peeta to go and rest after the birth, Katniss joined the rest of the group in the café, where dinner had been served… severely burnt, courtesy of Glimmer. Taking her share, she took a seat at the table, taking a look around the place as she ate, her talk of rationing coming back. The food definitely needed to be shared out equally… Rue and Prim had barely anything, Glimmer had a fair amount, and Cato had enough to probably last Katniss a week. Putting her fork down, she looked down at her plate.

"Look, now that we have three more mouths to feed, and the food won't last forever, we really need to talk about rationing." Katniss addressed.

"Three more mouths to feed? I thought we all agreed – they're out." Cato shot back.

"We can't just kick out a newborn baby and it's parents onto the street just like that!" Glimmer defended, which actually surprised the brunette. She swore the two had a thing going by the fact that she hung onto almost all of his words, always sat next to him every chance she could, and took the room right next to him… in a way she seemed kind of obsessed, or she was just pretending for protection.

"Well, you've changed your tone." Cato muttered. "You have a thing for him, don't you?"

"What? No!" Glimmer rolled her eyes, Katniss rolling hers as well. For some reason, Peeta's words on the steps before the baby drama began came back to her. _The future… _the ones who would grow up in this new world, not knowing what it was like before. The ones they'd have to make a new world for… they'd be ruling it once the rest were all gone. They were the ones they had to make something for.

"This baby is our future… and we can't turn our back on it. It's a chance to make something worth living in." Katniss said firmly. Honestly, she had no idea how they'd make it work. It would be a wonder if they survived any longer, though she hated to say it. She had heard Finch talking to herself about an alarm system, but she doubted it would actually come to anything.

"The little brat is going to put us all in danger, especially when the Tracker-Jackers come and slit our throats!" Cato growled.

"Are the Tracker-Jackers coming?!" Prim asked, eyes widening.

"No, Prim… we're fine." Katniss put an arm around her younger sister, hoping she wasn't lying.

"No need to sugarcoat it.. it's no use for her to realise the reality while she's bleeding to death!" Cato shouted as he left. Katniss only had one thought – _why did I even think letting him in was a good idea?!_

xxxx

That night when she had returned to her bedroom, still in a slight daze over the day, Katniss had attempted to write up a rationing list, but she had rapidly succumbed to sleep, only to be woken up at around six thirty the next morning, like the rest of her group, at the sound of the baby's cries echoing all over the mall. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, knowing that no one else except probably Peeta, or Madge if she could get out of bed, would go and calm it down, she got up, throwing on her father's jacket and her boots, climbing up the stairs to the furniture store. Later, she'd ask Glimmer if she could spare some time trying to make a hairdryer work if she could help her move her somewhere else to give her more privacy. Picking up the baby, she gently rocked it, trying to remember how her mother calmed Prim as a baby, though she was only six. It wasn't wet, so it was probably starving.

"Madge? Are you awake?" Katniss asked, looking over at the blonde. She gave a weak nod. "It's starving… can you feed him?"

"I can't… can you get Peeta? I feel awful…" Madge answered weakly. Shifting the baby awkwardly into one arm, Katniss placed a hand on her forehead.

"You're burning hot!" Katniss answered, a little louder than how she had meant.

"Really? I feel freezing… can you get Peeta for me, please?" Madge asked softly. Katniss gave a small nod, though she didn't even know if Peeta was around. Slowly leaving the room, she almost knocked Glimmer over as she walked down the halls to the café.

"What's wrong with it?" Glimmer said in annoyance, rubbing her forehead. "I thought it was being murdered."

"It's starving… can you check the food store for anything we could try and give her? Madge is too weak to feed her…" Katniss explained quickly. Glimmer gave a frustrated nod, walking off quickly… just when she was going to do her nails!

Walking into the café, sitting down, trying to desperate calm him, she looked over at her sister, the only one who was still eating. Finch, as usual had waltzed off to her workshop, Cato was playing with his knife, and Peeta and Rue were nowhere to be seen. After a few minutes of the baby crying, and Cato muttering to Katniss to shut it up, Glimmer came in with a bowl.

"Try this. You hold her, I'll try to get him to drink this." Glimmer told her, sitting down next to the brunette.

"What is it?" Katniss queried.

"Coffee creamer, a milk substitute, I found it wedged between the second shelf and the third. It's basically water, and a little bit of sugar." Glimmer answered, Katniss snatching the bowl from her, looking down at it in disgust.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, Glimmer!" Katniss snapped, slamming the bowl on the table, almost breaking it.

"You've got to feed it something, before you bring the whole city in!" Cato cut in.

"Cato's right…" Glimmer scowled.

"And just so you know, Loverboy hasn't come back. He seems pretty intent on dumping his brat and girlfriend on us." Cato changed the subject. Katniss sighed. He'd gone again? Hopefully this time not bringing an entire entourage back. A part of her hoped he'd be back, another angry he'd left without telling anyone, and another wishing for some reason he'd never return.

xxxx

She had to get out, just for awhile. The mall was filled with too much drama, and Rue was eager to just take a little time out, as strange as it sounded. She took her backpack with her just in case she found anything, but for the most part, she had been playing a large game of hide-and-seek with the gangs, with her winning. It wasn't the Tracker-Jackers that were after her this time, it was the Jabberjays, their biggest rival. Hiding behind a wrecked, blackened train carriage stained with blood that made her feel sick to her stomach, she hoped they had lost her. As she pressed her head to the ground, she heard laughter. Who had time for a joke in this world? Raising her head slightly, she had to quickly clamp a hand over her mouth to stop herself from gasping. Was that Peeta laughing? With… _him?_

"I'll see you later, man." Marvel, the leader to the notorious Tracker-Jackers said to him with a grin, racing off, Peeta in the opposite direction. Taking off in a third direction, Rue slipped on a rock, crying out in pain as it sliced her arm. Getting up carefully, the first thing she saw was the face of Peeta. There was no way she could escape now.

"Rue, isn't it?" he offered a hand. "I'm not going to hurt you.." Though her delicate features, she managed to give him a convincing scowl. Picking up a small rock, the only thing she could manage to grasp onto, she was prepared the throw it at him if it came down to it. She didn't like to hurt, but she had learnt in this world, extremely fast, that sometimes if it came down to it, she had to.

"Why were you with him?" she asked. Peeta had his suspicions that she may have seen him… and had desperately hoped she hadn't. "That terrible man."

"It's complicated, Rue… I can't explain." Peeta responded, having absolutely no idea what to say if she would request more information. He'd wished none of this had happened in the first place… but he couldn't help it.

"You can't explain?" Rue mumbled.

"We should get back to the mall. It's not safe out here… why did you leave?" Peeta asked, wondering if she had snuck off to go foraging with some of the others and had gotten lost.

"I went to find food…" Rue responded, knowing if she went on about drama he'd probably think her crazy.

"Food? I was too, after this. We should get going, like I said earlier." he nodded. Taking her hand, she quickly got up, clenching the rock as hard as she could, gritting her teeth as it dug into her skin. She was going to hold onto it… just for safe-keeping. It would only be used as a last resort. "Rue? Promise me you won't tell the others about Marvel?"

"I… I promise." the small girl's voice was barely audible. She hoped no one would find out, or manage to find out about the promise… she didn't like the idea of Cato turning her into mince at all.

xxxx

"Finch?" Prim peeked through the door of her workshop, barely audible. The redhead was bent over a laptop, wires draped all over, headphones on. "Finch?" she said slightly louder, stepping in the door way, carefully stepping over to the girl. "Finch?" she tapped her on shoulder, making the older girl jump.

"Damn! I thought you were one of the Tracker-Jackers!" Finch turned around, quite annoyed. She wasn't often startled. "Damn kid…" she muttered under her breath. "What do you want?" Prim stepped back a few paces.

"Katniss wanted to know if you had a thermometer.. Madge isn't in a good state…" Prim responded nervously. Throwing off her headphones, she grabbed a black box that was sitting at the end of her bed.

"Here…" Finch thrust the thermometer in her direction, Prim stepping closer slowly to grab it. Mumbling a thank you, the twelve-year old left quickly, heading in the furniture store's direction, looking down at Katniss who was scanning a book for information.

"Have you found anything?" Prim asked, giving her the thermometer, Katniss giving her a small smile. Lifting the barely conscious Madge's head, she attempted to take her temperature.

"I found a few things it could be, but I'm not completely sure yet." Katniss told her as Prim sat beside her, taking a book and scanning the page her sister had left open.

"Is it… the…" Prim cut herself off quickly. She hated saying that word. It reminded her more than almost anything of what had taken place in the last few months. Pulling the thermometer out of Madge's mouth, she looked down at the reading, trying to think of an answer while she tried to comprehend the reading. She was running a fever, an awful fever. Fever was never a Virus symptom that she had heard of, but contact around the world soon ceased. Maybe the symptoms differed across the world?

"There's some other options… there's more symptoms of other things new moms get than it…" Katniss replied softly. "I'm pretty sure it's this one though," she pointed to a word in bold. "She's had most of the symptoms, rapidly going from cold, to warm, drifting in and out of consciousness, and delirium… while you were gone she's been shouting out some strange things every now and then…"

"Is there any cure listed?" Prim queried.

"Yes, some antibiotics…" Katniss said softly, trailing off as if she had more to say. Of course, in the old world there'd been a cure… but not in this world. The only place she could think they would be, as the pharmacy had been stripped clean, and most likely every other drug store in the city, would be the hospital her and Prim's mother had worked out… but it was on the turf of the Jabberjays… it would be suicide. She'd risk it, for Madge, because even though she didn't know her well she had to get some help… for the sake of the baby. The other side of the coin hit her. She couldn't go herself, all she had to defend herself was a knife, though she was itching to get her hands on a crossbow, and she would be severely outnumbered if they caught her… and she couldn't exactly take Glimmer with her, or Finch, Peeta had gone walkabout, there was no way she would take Prim or Rue out, and it would be insane to bring Cato… who wouldn't line himself up to do the job on the first place… and even if she did go alone, she couldn't leave him in charge… she'd be too worried he'd chuck her and the baby out while she was gone.

"I can hear someone downstairs… I think it's Peeta…" Prim pulled her older sister out of her thoughts.

"I'll go take a look, can you get some water for Madge? We need to cool her down, and quickly." Prim gave a quick nod.

Walking down the stairs, greeted by the sight of Prim and Rue, Katniss immediately stopped herself from asking the generic question: where have you been? Instead, she tried to come up to something else… like how to explain Madge's state to him.

"You two back?" she joined them at the bottom.

"Yeah… we were foraging." Rue answered, covering for Peeta, like she had promised.

"Did you manage to find much?" Rue took off her pack, producing a cabbage, some dried beef, a bag of flour, and five oranges.

"Thanks… can you put them in the food store?" Katniss nodded, stepping closer to Peeta as Rue entered the café. "Peeta? Can you come with me? It's Madge?"

"What's wrong with her?" Peeta asked as he raced up the stairs.

"We don't know yet.. but I have a fair idea of what it may be." Katniss nodded as she entered the furniture store, where Prim was soaking the blonde in cold water.

"Is it the Virus?" he asked, his last word barely audible.

"Probably not… but she needs some antibiotics for what I think she has…"

xxxx


	8. Chapter Seven

**A/N: I've been thinking about it now as I've been writing this chapter and planning out a few to come, would anyone mid if I aged Finnick, Johanna & Annie and maybe a few others down to eighteen so they could've survived the Virus? People like Effie, Haymitch, Cinna and ones already mentioned before the Virus are staying dead, but I've been considering a few. Please tell me what you think of this chapter, or my idea in a review! Also, updates will be slower with school now returning.**

Chapter Seven

As soon as Katniss told him about the antibiotics, and a little bit about the hospital her mother had worked out, Peeta had taken off, despite her protests. He knew he wanted to save his girlfriend, but there was a bigger chance of the Jabberjays getting him, the antibiotics not being there, or Madge dying before he came back, than actually getting what she needed. Still, he was off… and to be honest, she was wondering if he'd run off, just like he did a few days ago.

In the last four hours, she had managed to move Madge to the kitchenware store next door with the help of Glimmer, her sister and Rue, written up a rationing roster that she had yet to put up, and had set up a schedule for Madge – Glimmer (who often complained her way through her share, though sometimes she could be slightly nicer on nanny duty), Rue, Prim, and herself would switch every hour and a half between caring for her, the other either on nanny duty, or having a break. Though she had managed a decent sleep, and it was barely afternoon, she was extremely tired. Pressing the cloth to Madge's forehead, Katniss sighed. The girl was drifting out of consciousness every few hours ago, awaking quickly, screaming for her parents or Peeta. She hadn't told her about Peeta leaving again, not wanting her to fret over him. The sick girl already had a lot of weight on her shoulders – she had given birth about a day or two ago – Katniss couldn't distinctly remember, had a little boy to look after, a boyfriend who would make a brilliant magician with all his disappearing acts, and now she had to fight this illness. Keeping a hand on the cloth, Katniss slid another one under the sheets, hoping she hadn't soaked through them yet, like she had already done twice… nothing seemed to cool her down. In vain, Prim had searched the pharmacy for fever pills, despite Katniss telling her that it had been stripped clean numerous times. As a last resort, she went to Finch, hoping she had a secret medicine stash, but the redhead shook her head, leaving her with no answered.

Her mind quickly switched to Rue. Since washing machines were extinct in this world, and water was a precious thing in the mall, she had offered to run the sheets down to a lake she knew in the woods, but she refused to let her go out again. While Rue told her her last venture outside was fine, she couldn't help but notice one of her arms had been sliced up, still bleeding when she had returned. It was a minor thing, but the thought of it coming from one of the notorious Clove's knives as she pursued her with the rest of her bunch of sickos made her extremely careful. Rue, for some reason, had reminded her of Prim more and more as they days went on. If Prim was caught by the Tracker-Jackers, she'd never forgive herself, the same for Rue. She could go with her to guard… but leaving the mall with the rest of them was risky… and if she asked someone to go with Rue to guard, the results would probably be disastrous. If she took Prim, that would be putting both of them in danger, she had classified Glimmer already too stupid to guard, Finch was a slippery one, most likely to run off and leave her in the face of danger, and Cato… he wouldn't go in the first place, but if he miraculously did, she wouldn't doubt him to kill her himself in the first place. She hadn't seen Rue since she had switched nanny duty to Glimmer, and she was wondering if she had secretly gone out, and thought no one would notice.

"Mom… mom… mom!" Madge howled, delirious, groaning as she tried to move. Katniss gently pushed her down, hoping not to hurt her as the blonde mumbled.

"Madge… try to sleep. You have so much to live for… your baby, you want to see him grow up, don't you?" Katniss dabbed at her head. "And Peeta… you need to fight this…" she continued, softly mumbling things soon after as they came to her. She hoped Peeta would cone back, just for the sake of Madge. She didn't want to see her die. Too many people had already departed for the afterlife. Madge tried to choke out a response, but all Katniss got was a mush of letters, something she was unable to comprehend. It was around that moment that she began to calculate. She'd have to check with Prim later, but she wasn't stupid. If Peeta and the antibiotics made no appearance, Madge would be dead in a week or under, give or take. She tried to banish the thought from her mind, which quickly proved useless. "You need to fight this…" she said once more, almost inaudible, as the other girl seemed to drift off into her normally restless slumber again. In this world with no doctors, nurses or any other real help, her son needed Madge more than ever.

xxxx

Rue had left the mall as soon as she could. The stream had always proved calming when she had visited with her aunt and siblings before the Virus had struck, and once seeing the sickly Madge, bringing back things from when things crashed that she'd rather keep buried in the past, she had realised how much she had missed it, and the sheets gave her the perfect chance to get out for a little while. Hopefully Katniss or the others wouldn't notice her absence. Most of them were too busy with the baby, or wouldn't care less if she'd actually run off. One less mouth to feed.

As she tied one of the sheets to a tree, she fully noticed the eeriness that surrounded the area… it was extremely different than how it had been before. Pulling another one out of the water, she took a quick look around. No one was visible, unless they were hidden in the bushes or in the trees, and the only sounds she was able to here were the rustling of the leaves in the wind, and the splashing of the water as she cleaned the sheets. The weather had also changed considerable, going from looking fine, to the sky turning a dull grey, like it was about to rain at any moment. Shaking off the feeling as good as she could, she began to wash the last one, only to hear voices and the snapping of twigs under boots.

Ripping the sheets off the trees and throwing them in the stream, to hopefully conceal them as debris, she quickly climbed up the nearest tree, easy concealing herself in it, she waited for the ones on the grounds to pass through. They were most likely trying to get water, and berries, nuts or roots to eat, if they were clever enough to find what was edible. Nestling herself in the trees, the rain started to pour, the group below racing through the area, cursing as they tried to cover themselves. They were definitely gone. Surveying the area, Rue satisfied with her result, she carefully began to climb down as the rain got worse, thunder crashing down unexpectedly, making Rue jump… which was quite the mistake. The girl was sent to the ground with a loud thud. Trying to get the strength to move, Rue began to feel dizzy, unable to move. She waited for the end. She'd fallen out of trees many times before, but never from that height.

Just before she passed out, she felt someone lift her up. Was it one of the gang members coming back to chop her up into little bits? She had no idea…

xxxx

As the carried the baby down the halls, trying calm it down after she had accidentally woken it up, Prim wondered if Peeta would come back in time for Madge. Since her last visit, bringing back more water to bathe the girl in (she had gotten considerably worse. Heading for the café, hoping to find Rue there to talk to for awhile, she looked up at the ceiling, which was painted a cream colour, paint now chipping, a damp patch was forming, dripping water all over the floor. She wondered where it was coming from, until she remembered the water tank Finch had told them a bit about. It was leaking! Knocking on the door of Finch's workshop, luckily not startling her this this time, the girl turning around, from a strange thing she couldn't identify, a bag of sand from the tool shop by her side, looking slightly frustrated.

"What now?" Finch asked. "Not more water…"

"Um… not exactly… but I was taking the baby around the mall and I noticed that the water tank was leaking." Prim responded, hoping the girl wouldn't throw the sand at her. She knew almost nothing about the girl, except that she seemed quite smart, and just as secretive. Prim didn't mind, unless she was actually lethal… prying into other people's lives wasn't her thing whatsoever.

"What?! It must be a mistake… show me." Finch slid herself off her stool as Prim directed her in the way of the supposed leak. Prim definitely wasn't wrong. Rubbing her temples, Finch stared up at it. This had to be fixed soon… or all of the water would be gone, and she hadn't even finished her filtration device yet!

"Something wrong?" Cato appeared from around the corner, eyes darting to the leak. "What brought that on?"

"I won't know until I get a look at the tank." Finch retorted as she quickly raced off to the steps leading to the roof.

"I'll come with you." Cato told her as he followed.

"I can do it on my own." Finch said back as she climbed the steps quicker, trying to get away from him as fast as he could.

"You can never be too sure… wouldn't want you falling in and drowning, would we?" Cato smirked, Finch shuddering. Why had she let these people in her mall, eating her food, finding her stash, taking her precious, precious water. She should've kept them all locked up, let them kill themselves or starve. This was now quite the mess…

xxxx

Katniss hadn't been lying when he had told her about how bad the hospital would most likely look. The Jabberjays had almost caught him as he had raced over the hospital gates, slicing the bottom part of his trousers and a small part of his leg. Wincing as he crashed into the carpark, grateful for the Tracker-Jackers that had come to confront them for a battle, most likely leading in slaves being taken, broken bones and casualties, he got right down to business. Fishing out the piece of paper Katniss had written the name of what Madge needed out of his jacket pocket, he began to search through the place. Exit signs were cracked messes, bashed-up machines and beds lay in the once pristine hallways, charred newspapers, hospital gowns and bed sheets littering the floors. Knowing how sadistic most of the gangs were, Peeta figured that they would've grabbed every surgical instrument they could find for a weapon when things got very bad.

Climbing the stairs, weapon in hand just in case someone happened to be lurking in the shadows, he carefully looked in every room, the main things he found being battered mattresses, blood, a few bandages, and heaps of debris. In vain, he searched every break room, hoping to find some food, even something as tiny as a box of instant noodles. but his search for Madge's drugs continued on. As he climbed another set of steps, he opened the first door that he saw, marked "I. EVERDEEN."

Inside, he quickly scanned for something that proved useful, looking around the desk of the person that had once sat in this room, opening drawers, finding a stapler, some paperclips and rubber bands. Even though it was meagre, and definitely wouldn't save Madge, he put them in his bag, just in case. The idea of going back empty handed pained him greatly. His eyes returned to the top of the desk, a picture that had somehow survived the anarchy grabbing his attention. Outside, in what looked like a park, sat a woman that seemed to be in her mid thirties with blonde hair and blue eyes, a small smile on her face, a girl that looked like younger version of her, maybe seven at the oldest, sitting on her knee, and a girl with olive skin and dark hair standing beside them, about twelve, holding one of the little girl's hands. Her smile seemed strained, as if she had no reason to smile at all, or didn't want to. For a reason, the girl looked slightly familiar. Putting it down, he pondered over it for a few minutes. The girls were Katniss, and her sister Prim! The woman must've been their mother. As he left, he thought of bringing back the photo for the two, but he decided against it. Though seemed kind to him for awhile, he then thought of the memories it would resurface.

The past hurt enough anyway, even without the added photograph. Shutting the door, he continued down the hall, desperately hoping to find what Madge needed… and when he did, not to get back when it was too late…

xxxx

When she woke, it was dark, the only thing alerting her being the crackle of a fire. Carefully pulling herself up, Rue wondered if she was a prisoner, but she appeared to be out in the open, and nothing was tying her down. Looking over at the fire, her vision still slightly blurry, she noticed someone cooking a fish. A boy, who was well built… monstrous, even. \Someone who could probably even beat Cato up in a street fight. Was he in a gang, or part of one of the nomad tribes she had heard about roaming around, pretending to be kind, save you from something even, only to sell you as slaves? At the first look at him, she knew she would be no match if he tried to kill her or sell her. It was stupid, but she hoped for the best.

"You are awake…" he turned the fish around, looking over at her as she studied his face in the light of the fire. Rue hesitated to answer, still wondering what was going on. The last few things she could piece together before slipping out of consciousness was falling from a tree, and just as dizziness overcame her, someone lifting her up. Was it this boy? If he had saved her… why did he?

"Yes…" Rue nodded softly. "Where am I?" she asked the generic question, hoping she could get away with it.

"You fell out of the tree… The Mutts almost found you. It would be unfair to let a little girl die, so I got you out." he replied. "Too much has happened already." Rue nodded in understanding, moving closer to the fire, realising how cold she was. "Do you like fish?"

"I love it. We didn't get it often, though, because it was too expensive." Rue looked longingly at what had once been a treat every few months. "What's your name?" she asked quickly.

"Thresh." he answered as he took the fish off the fire. "What about you?"

"Rue."

xxxx


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

As Katniss put the baby down for the night, a million thoughts flooded her mind. Where was Rue? Was she dead, or a prisoner of the gangs? She had asked Prim and Glimmer awhile ago, and they hadn't seen her since the afternoon, and it had to be eight, maybe ten if she stretched the day far enough. What about Peeta? She only cared about him for the sake of Madge. Was he now dead at the hands of the Jabberjays, done a runner and left Madge to die, or was he currently returning home in the darkness? She hoped the morning would arrive with good news, though it was as scarce as fresh fruit in this world. So far, after the birth, things had gotten worse. Madge's sickness, Rue's disappearance, and now the leaking of the water tank she had found out about at dinner, when she had set up the rationing system. As expected, Prim accepted it, but Glimmer and Cato protested. Finch only gave the sign a small nod and a sly grin. Worried about potential break-ins into the cupboard, she had managed to find a padlock in the remains of the tool shop and had attached it as well as she could.

The water tank… according to Cato and Finch, it was only a quarter full, most likely under now that everyone's two water bottles were re-filled. Katniss could go for days without water, and even though her sister had protested, used most of her ration to bathe the baby. When it ran out… she had no idea what to do. They could try and get water from the stream, but it wouldn't be filtered. Finch had mumbled something about filtration a day or so ago, but much like the alarm, she doubted nothing would come of it. Maybe she could try making juice from some of the oranges Rue found on her scavenge tomorrow?

As she placed a small blanket over the baby, she climbed onto her mattress, desperate for sleep after such a long day. With Madge now very sick, she had moved the baby into her room for the time being so if it cried in the night it wouldn't stir her from the sleep she desperately needed. Prim had told Katniss she'd watch over Madge for half of the night, calling her if there were any changes, with Glimmer taking the other half of the night to watch. Cato placed himself on guard duty in the sewers. Katniss didn't mind. He probably wasn't even that tired.

She slept somewhat peacefully through the night, hoping to get a decent rest for whatever went on tomorrow. She hoped it wouldn't be burying Madge.

xxxx

"Do you belong to a tribe?" Thresh asked Rue as the fire he had made finally burned out.

"I'm not really sure what we are…" Rue answered, holding back a yawn. She was out for quite a few hours, but she was still really, really tired. She hoped to get back to the mall tomorrow… if Thresh seemed as good as he had been to her so far, with the fish and saving her from the Mutts. Truly, she had no idea what to say. The baby had brought a few of them closer as a team, while Cato and Finch retained their distance. "Do you belong to any?" she highly doubted, unless he was a spy for one of the gangs, but it didn't hurt to ask. She had no one else to talk to.

"No. I was with a group, just two of us for awhile… until that idiot ruined everything." Thresh responded, the last part barely audible.

"Did they turn on you?" Rue asked. It hadn't happened to her, but she had seen things like that happen from behind her hiding spots, leaving her with a prime view of the bloody fight that ensued soon after… the injuries and casualties left for her to see after the battle making her feel quite ill.

"Kind of… It's complicated, but they're probably with the gangs now." Thresh grumbled. Glimmer didn't deserve it… though she could be quite dim-witted at the best of times, she didn't need that grisly fate. They had been friends before everything had happened, but after Cato joined them, they didn't really have much time to talk together (not that it came often, when it did it was mainly about survival techniques) because she was quite… preoccupied with other more 'important' things.

"Oh.. sounds like a complicated story." Rue nodded, trying to get comfortable on the hard ground of the woods. Thresh simply gave her a nod in return. The Alma Coin Hotel was a complete death-trap, but he had somehow managed to escape, though now looking back, he'd probably be dead if he hadn't knocked the guards out with the fire extinguisher he had picked up while racing through the halls, and if Clove and Marvel weren't on patrol in the streets. They were shorter than him, and less-built, but lethal. He had never seen anyone with such a brilliant skill with knives. Torn out of his mind by the sound of Rue shivering, he took off his brown jacket.

"Have my jacket." Thresh gently threw it over to her. He didn't mind a bit of cold.

"Are you sure?" Rue took the coat carefully. It looked like she could fit her and Prim in it if they tried hard enough. Thresh nodded. "We should try and rest… if the rain comes back, we'll have to find some shelter." Thresh gave her another nod, as Rue wondered about telling him about the mall. She had told him about the little group, so of course he'd presume they had a reasonably good place to stay. He seemed reasonable enough… but was he really like that? Or is it just a dirty trick on some easy prey? Though she was quick on her feet, she could never outrun someone Thresh's size. She could climb a tree… but how long would that last? He'd find some way to get her down, wait it out, or she could stay up there for days and eventually starve or dehydrate. Though it seemed like a ridiculous thing to do, Rue hoped for the best.

xxxxx

First thing the next morning, after settling back into the routine of feeding the baby and attending to anything else it needed, Katniss waiting to see if there was any news on Peeta and the girls had forgotten to tell her, but nothing. There was no news on Rue either. She had tried to banish the thoughts… but Rue was so small, and while fast, the gangs could easy grab her. It was a pure stroke of luck for her that day that Katniss had gotten her out of the way of the Tracker-Jackers.

Taking her share of food, sitting down with the rest of the group, an awkward silence descended over the meal. Since Katniss wasn't up for starting a conversation, she instead scanned the table. Glimmer had outdone herself, and was in the ugliest thing she had ever seen – making her look even more like a flamingo, Prim was staring at her plate, Cato looked extremely tired after taking guard duty the night before, and Finch… well, Katniss didn't know how to describe it. Between dainty little bites, the fox-faced girl appeared to be doing little calculations in her crazy mind. Was it ways to kill them in their sleep, or just plans of her latest invention or device that would end nowhere? Katniss had no idea.

As Glimmer put down her fork, playing with her blonde curls, Katniss swore she heard the creaky sound of the sewer door. Was it Peeta, Rue, or the newest crazy of the city? Almost immediately, Cato got up, weapon clenched firmly in his hand, walked down the stairs as he waited for the door to open fully. Katniss followed him, just in case it was more than one. Cato could probably take them, but though he was surprisingly quick for someone who probably got about three hours of sleep last night, she wouldn't want to take a risk. She wished she had a crossbow instead of this knife… but she couldn't find one anywhere. At first she was planning to try and make herself a bow when her and Prim arrived in the country, but she soon realized, that no matter how long she practiced doing it, it would probably turn out unusable.

The door opened, Cato ready to confront the intruder… but it was only Peeta. Her grey eyes immediately went to his bag. Did it contain what Madge desperately needed?

"Did you get the antibiotics?" Prim asked from the balcony. Peeta gave what seemed a cross between a nod and a shrug, climbing the stairs, Cato and Katniss following. Going back to his plate, drama over, Cato was now waiting for the perfect chance to get the three out. A vote was a vote, and the baby was a major weakness to their already pitiful, in his opinion, group.

"Yes." Peeta took his bag off his shoulder, placing it on top of the café counter, unpacking. He had found a few things on the way back, or while in the hospital, which consisted of rubber bands, paperclips, three packs of dried fruit, a few more things the baby would need, and of course, the antibiotics. Katniss was already preparing a glass of water for Madge when she saw the bottle in full.

"How much do you think would be a safe dose?" Katniss asked her sister. She was the hopefully if the world didn't crash nurse-or-doctor-to-be, and the older girl had barely a clue about medicine. The worst ailment she had gotten was chicken pox when she was five, and injuries made her squeamish, made her want to run away as fast as possible. Sick people, people without burns, blood gushing out of some area, ones injured mostly inside, she was better at handling, though she would be no help with medicine-giving.

"Two, to start with." Katniss handed her sister the glass of water, Peeta the antibiotics soon after. The three raced off to furniture store, where Madge was half-awake. Peeta took a seat by her bed, gripping her hand, hoping to get her awake so Prim could get her to take the pills.

"Peeta?" Madge asked weakly, him carefully lifting her head up.

"I'm here. You need to take these, alright? They'll make you feel better." Peeta responded as Prim took two of the pills out of the medium-sized bottle as Peeta lifted her head up a little higher. She was burning, as she had been for the last three days. Madge managed a nod as Prim carefully placed the pills in the older girl's mouth, followed with a few gulps of water. It took a little while, but Madge eventually swallowed them. Peeta told the two he'd watch her, tell them if there was change, trying to repay them for caring for Madge while he was off. As Prim left the room, Katniss stood in the doorway for a little longer. Maybe Peeta had seen Rue around?

"Peeta… have you seen Rue?" Katniss asked, keeping her voice low, hoping now to stir the sick girl beside him in sleep.

"No. Did she try and follow me?" Peeta turned to face her, his hand still in Madge's.

"I don't think so. She said she was going to go down to the stream to wash some sheets, but I asked her to stick around because it was dangerous.. but she left awhile after." Katniss sighed. Peeta was about to say he'd go look for her, but he wanted to stay with Madge, and if she managed to make some progress, tell her about the 'agreement' he had come to with someone she knew quite well. Katniss gave a small nod, leaving the two together in peace, just as the baby's cries echoed around the mall.

"Can you shut that thing up? I told you it would be a weakness." Cato muttered from the café. He still was on about kicking them out? Great… and she had the feeling he wouldn't back down from the subject anytime soon.

xxxx

The two had now reached the wooded area towards the back of the mall, where the manhole cover leading to the sewer entrance was waiting. Rue had ended up telling Thresh about the mall, and was hoping her instincts were right that he was actually alright. If not, and she escaped the situation alive, it would be hard to get over her stupidity.

"The sewer entrance is around here." Rue pointed through some tress as she kept walking, slower than usual because of yesterday's fall from the tree after the storm started. Thresh walked beside her, eyes locked on the spot. Brushing away leaves, Rue pulled the manhole cover off, almost dropping it twice, carefully climbing down into the sewers as Thresh pulled the cover over, following her to the door of the mall. Pulling it open, she peered inside. The bottom floor was idle, the mall quiet. Did Madge die while she was gone?

Stepping in, the annoying creaking of the door now attracting attention, Katniss rushed down the stairs… with _him. _

"Rue! Where have you been… and who's this?" Katniss asked, looking up at the tall Thresh. She wondered if she had met him outdoors, or he had made her tell him where she came from and brought her here by force. He'd be armed then, wouldn't he? No weapon was in sight.

"I ran into the Mutts, but they got chased off by the storm… and I…erm, slipped into the stream … and Thresh found me." Rue responded, looking up at Thresh, leaving the part where she fell out of a tree out of her tiny recount.. though falling into the stream wasn't much better. She gave Thresh a quick look, hoping he'd pick it up, meaning 'please go with my story.' Thresh gave a small nod, Rue giving him a smile in return.

Glimmer appeared from the top of the stairs, eager to find out what had happened now. Thresh was back?! How? Cato had told her that he had sacrificed himself.

"Glimmer? You're here too?" Thresh decided to go with, looking up at the blonde… in that extremely ugly feathery shirt. Definitely not practical for Tracker-Jacker chases.

"It's a long story. Cato and I managed to escape." Glimmer joined them at the bottom of the steps, face turning icy as she turned to Cato. "He said that you sacrificed yourself for us." she said between gritted teeth.

"Some sacrifices cannot be made." Thresh simply stated. He'd get his revenge later.

"Well… I guess we should get you cleaned up." Katniss looked over at Rue who's shirt was covered in dirt. Rue followed Katniss up the steps, Glimmer flouncing off to her room, as Thresh went to join Rue upstairs. Feeling a hand grab his shoulder, only able to belomg to one person, he looked over furiously.

"We'll settle this tonight. Bring a weapon. Service area. As soon as everyone else is asleep." Cato simply stated, pointing to the staircase that leaded to the service area, disappearing down the halls. Cato had just dug his own grave.

xxxx

The antibiotics were beginning to take effect. Madge had cooled down quite a lot, and was finally beginning to stir. Peeta wasn't going to call for the other just yet… he wanted to talk to her first about something that had happened while she had been ill. He knew it probably wouldn't go down well, but it was something he needed to ask.

"You're awake." he smiled. Madge looked over to him, more life in her eyes then there had been before, returning the smile. She didn't speak just yet, and he was wondering if she had the strength to. "Are you feeling better?"

"Considerably." Madge answered, rubbing her forehead. "How's the baby?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen him since I came back, but he's in good hands. Katniss and the other girls have been taking care of him, so he's most likely fine." Peeta decided to take his chance. After a brief pause, he continued to speak. "And about the baby… I saw him the other day. He'd like to see you." Madge went slightly pale.

"What? No… no." Madge spoke back quickly.

"He has a right to know." Peeta mumbled, knowing she had probably made her mind up yet.

"If he wants to see me… it has to be on my terms. It has to be in the mall. I'm not going out there, out in the open again!" Madge told him, things that she'd much rather leave buried in the past coming to mind. Peeta nodded, about to answer when Katniss came in, the baby and it's basket used as a crib in hand.

"Oh, you're awake." Katniss set the basket down at the end of the bed, placing the baby inside of it. "I take it you're feeling better." Madge simply nodded, the grey-eyed girl's gaze turning to Peeta. "You're probably tired, I can take over if you want. You're portion of food from lunch is on the table."

"Are you sure?" Katniss nodded in return as he left the room. He knew he'd just come back, but he disappeared down to the sewers once again. He wanted to get this meeting over and done with as quick as he could.

xxxx


	10. Chapter Nine

**A/N: Sorry about the wait, I've been sick and my homework hasn't stopped coming. Thank you for 20 reviews, and the follows and favorites! It makes my day when I see them in my inbox. Also, sorry about the shortness. It's almost ten, I'm tired and I felt it needed to end there for now. Enjoy, and please leave a review!**

Chapter Nine

When she noticed Peeta's share still sitting on the counter, Katniss shrugged it off for a short while. Maybe he'd eaten some of that dried fruit he brought back while he was out, though it didn't seem that filling on it's own, or simply he wasn't hungry… which was strange after a long, stressful journey. As she scraped the contents of the plate into an old container, her face twisted into a scowl. Not again. He couldn't have gone again! These comings and goings were getting absolutely ridiculous. More thoughts filled her mind as she scraped the plate harder in frustration, the sound the plate made quickly becoming excruciating to listen to. This group… what were they? She used the term group quite loosely. Everyone did their own thing – keeping to themselves, sneaking out, and whatever else went down that she hadn't noticed yet. The closest they came to a group was at mealtimes, but they were mainly filled with silence, awkwardness, and the occasional argument. How long would this last? No one seemed to want to grasp the fact they were actually living together., and were a tribe of some strange sort.

Placing the lid on the container, she walked out into the seated part of the café, and after she she resisted the urge to throw up, she finally took in the mess. She certainly needed to write up the chore roster she had briefly thought about – the café was beginning to resemble a tip, and would soon bring in rats and disease, something they desperately didn't need. They could barely eat, let alone fight any infections that came their way. They were extremely, extremely lucky that Peeta got Madge's antibiotics in time, and nothing like that would be likely to happen again. Warily taking a plate, as if it was about to turn into a cluster of rats, she turned back to the café entrance, when she saw Prim come up the stairs. Giving her a quick smile, she quickly stacked a few more plates on top of the one she was carrying as her sister helped her with another stack.

"How's Madge?" Katniss asked as she disappeared to the sink, scrubbing away at a plate. Prim soon joined her, taking a rag from one of the kitchen drawers, drying the plates Katniss continued to almost break as she slammed them down on the counter, obviously frustrated at the mess no one had come to help her with.

"She's quite good at the moment. No fever anymore, able to communicate again." Prim nodded, carefully drying another plate and placing it on a home-made rack Finch had made to dry.

"Good to hear. I wanted her to pull through, for the baby's sake." Katniss replied.

"I'm glad it'll keep it's mom… It won't have to go through… you know," Prim said sadly as she dried. Katniss gave her a nod, scrubbing the plate she was gripping harder. The past would never change, but she was eager to change the subject.

"Have you seen Peeta?" Katniss said to her sister, hoping he hadn't actually disappeared again. He had a son to look after, and a recovering girlfriend… did he actually care?

"No. I haven't seen him since I gave Madge her medicine." Prim responded, looking down at the plates. Katniss slammed down a plate once more, so hard it shattered. Prim jumped back, as the rag she had been using joined the shards of the plate on the hard floor of the café. "Are you alright? I'll do it… I'll get you a drink."

"I'm fine, Prim." Katniss bent down, carefully picking up the shards, trying not to wince as a particular sharp one dug into her hand, blood dripping onto the café floor. Muttering something Prim couldn't make out at all, she threw the plate remains on the counter. Prim's blue eyes were locked on the cut.

"Your hand… I'll be back in a second." Prim sat her sister down at the table, stepping out of the room, hoping to find something to act as a bandage. She had found one of the first aid kits in the Service Area, but it was dented in and nothing remained inside. As the blonde disappeared, Katniss rubbed her eyes with her clean hand, thinking to herself about how long they'd truly last…

xxxx

Dinner came and went, leaving a mess no one wanted to clean up like the nights before, Katniss making a definite mental note about writing up her chore roster as she managed to get Rue to help out her and her sister. Now, the mall was pitch black, no sound coming from any room at all. Peeta had offered to take guard duty on his return, hoping for this meeting to go as smooth as possible. As his companion entered, pulling over the manhole cover, he looked around.

"Where is she?" he spat at the blonde.

"I'm going to get her. Stay here, and say absolutely nothing." Peeta told him firmly, opening the green door to the mall, trying not to sigh to himself.

"No way man. I'm coming too. This could be a dirty trick." his companion growled.

"Stay here. If they find you… I don't know what they'd do." Peeta muttered, climbing the stairs. His companion entered anyway, hanging by the stalls close to the door. He hadn't brought a weapon. It was her special request. Peeta told him so. He just hoped it wasn't an ambush, something sly the two had set up together. It was no telling how people changed. He changed too. No one she went to school with, that had survived in this new world that he was trying to conquer. Just the class joke… something to laugh at as the girl he liked turned him down in front of everyone. The third wheel… the second choice. No, now he stood out. He smirked to himself as she waited. He wouldn't change back. In a few minutes, they returned, something in his arms. She stopped quite a distance away from him.

"You came.. no weapons, no one else, right?" Madge asked softly. He could only just make her out. He gave her a nod.

"Why are you sticking around here?" he asked. "With these losers?" he went straight to the point. "You know, I could take care of you. Keep you safe."

"She left you guys, came to me, because she was scared." Peeta cut in, placing a hand on Madge's shoulder.

"You think I'm going to stick around here? That's why you brought me here?" Mockery was obvious in his voice. "Power and chaos, it's the only way." Madge hesitated her, but Peeta softly prompted her. She stepped forward, holding out what had been in her arms.

"If you won't do anything for me… but what about him?" she placed the baby into his hesitant arms, hoping he'd be gentle.

"It's mine? You must be joking." he said to her.

"No.. it's definitely yours. I've been with no one else." she answered him softly. The next person that spoke made her go pale. It was neither of the two men next to her. No… oh no…

"Well, this is a pretty picture." the voice of Cato echoed around the room., a smirk on his face. He was doing little to keep quiet. "All along… I knew it. You were a traitor."

"What? No, you don't und-" Madge tried to explain, but her companion shoved the baby in her arms and ran, completely forgetting the sewer door, up the stairs. Cato threw Peeta to the floor, just as the voice of Katniss filled the dark mall.

"What's going on?!" She shouted, looking down as Cato punched Peeta in the face, Madge looking as if she wanted to die.

"He brought the Tracker-Jackers in, that's what!" Cato spat back. Finch, Thresh, Rue and Glimmer had joined them. "One's hiding in here, the rest are probably waiting down in the sewers." Peeta Cato off of him, racing up the stairs before he could throw him down again.

"What?!" was all Katniss could manage. She looked over at her companions, all with mixed reactions. Prim had just joined them, sharing the same frightened expression of Rue, Finch looked as if she wanted to kill them all, Glimmer just looked down at Cato, smirk on her lips, and Thresh was quite puzzled.

"Finish the both of them off, Cato." Glimmer smirked. Cato found Peeta again, throwing him down and grabbing his knife, ready to kill him, the rest too shocked to move as Peeta struggled. At the last second, Marvel's voice filled the mall, stepping out of the shadows. Cato smirked, slashing Peeta's arm before he got up, ready to kill Marvel.

"Let him go! If you want a fight, fight me!" he screamed, as he lunged towards him, Cato stabbing him in the back, pushing him over the railing, his screams filling the mall. He hit the floor below, the mall now silent. Everyone was speechless. They all hated Marvel, even though they had never known him properly, for one reason or another.. but this was so surreal. Was the fearless leader of the Tracker Jackers really on the floor, his blood pooling around his lifeless body? Katniss was pale. It was Peeta who spoke next, trying to stop the bleeding with his shirt as he raced down the stairs to the body.

"No… no!" Peeta shouted, leaning down, checking his pulse, though even if he was alive, there'd be no saving. The baby began to sob, Madge accompanying it. "He's dead."

"I knew he'd get what was coming to him." Cato simply stated, looking down at his blood covered knife, extremely proud.

"Cato, shut up. Glimmer, take the kids away. Anywhere. Just get them out." Katniss suddenly felt in control.

"But why do I have to-" Glimmer began to whine.

"Glimmer, do it." Katniss told her. Glimmer rolled her eyes, grabbing Prim and Rue and leading them into the furniture shop as Katniss joined Peeta down at the ground. Finch scowled, Thresh retreating to his room in the Clock Shop.

"He… he didn't come to cause trouble… he came a lone. He wasn't even armed." Madge was on the verge of tears again. "He came to see his son!" Katniss, Finch, and even Cato were tacked aback.

"His demon spawn, don't you mean." Cato shot out.

"Don't you think you've done enough, you idiot?" Peeta was filed with even more rage.

"I was just stating what we're all thinking." Cato scowled.

"Go!" Madge shouted, now overcome with fury. Cato didn't budge.

"Well, what are we going to do with the body?!" Finch shrieked. Katniss ignored her. She wanted the pieces of this puzzle put into the place.

"Are you two?" she couldn't continue. He couldn't be!

"Yes. I took her in after she ran away…" Peeta looked down at the bloody body, shuddering.

"About the body… we should dump it in the streets, with the rest of the garbage." Cato couldn't stop himself.

"Cato, I suggest you leave before I find something heavy to throw at your head." Katniss snapped. He simply chuckled, finally leaving, still extremely proud of what he had done. Katniss turned to Peeta again, gently nodding at what he had said before.

"What are we going to do with him?" Madge asked, scared.

"I want to bury him. He was my brother." Peeta said firmly, as if he had never ruled the scariest gang in the city, killed countless teenagers.

"We need to do it out of the city." Finch piped up again. "I'm not having him buried outside my- um, our home, or in the streets. His bitch of an accomplice will find him and start searching."

"She does have a point." Katniss nodded. They looked down at the body again, and for the first time in ages, she was scared. What would they do?

xxxx

"Marvel?" Clove reached out to find him, but she found nothing. Rubbing her eyes, getting out of bed and putting on her red jacket, she scowled to herself. He never slept in… it only meant one thing: he wasn't telling her something, gone and went off again. She didn't like secrets very much. Had he left in the night? Or gone out to play early this morning for some reason? She threw the door of the hotel room open, looking around. The guards were still all around. Nothing seemingly strange.

It was only when she went up to the steps to the hotel kitchen, where a breakfast made by a slave would be waiting, she noticed something laying on the ground… almost all burnt.

She could only make out one word.

_Peeta. _

She scowled. Of course he'd go without her to meet him. Whenever she mentioned him he'd either attack her or leave the room.

Disappearing into her bedroom, she put on her normal clothes, placing her knives at her sides, paining on new warpaint. It wouldn't be slow… quite painful. She'd make sure of it… she just had to find him first.

xxxx


	11. Chapter Ten

**A/N: Thanks for over 2,000 views! I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you have any questions about when certain characters will be introduced, just leave it in a review. Also, I've decided, though it's early - I'm going to write a sequel based on the second series of the show. **

Chapter Ten

Though they had all gone back to their beds after the drama had ceased, no one slept well that night. Some managed to get a few hours rest, before waking up from a nightmare, others couldn't sleep a wink, others were too deep in thought for rest, and others wouldn't let themselves sleep at all. As the sun began to rise, Madge stepped out of her room, the baby in her arms. The mall was completely silent, much like last night straight after Cato stabbed and murdered Marvel. She still couldn't believe it had happened. It was so quick. She barely saw what happened until it was too late, when he was flung over the railing, hitting the mall floor. For the first time in what felt like forever, she hated someone. She hated Cato for what he did. She hated herself for asking him to come here. He wouldn't be dead then. She kndew what he had done, how he had killed so many people, hurt people that were suffering with the aftereffects of the Virus, just like he was, only they hadn't gone crazy. However, she hadn't been able to come to terms with his new personality. She could still remember what he was like in their schooldays. Mainly quiet, but he had a great sense of humour, and had quite a crush on her.

Now, more than anything, she wanted to leave the mall… but where could she go? She was still weak, she had only given birth three or four days ago, and she had a son that needed her more than ever. She couldn't leave him behind. She'd never forgive herself if she did so, and she didn't want to leave Peeta either. She liked, maybe admired slightly more, Katniss, but Peeta was the only person she could trust. Cato, she'd never trust in a million years, Glimmer, after last night she now disliked considerably as well, she knew nothing about Finch or the new boy, Thresh, and little Prim and Rue were nice enough, but she knew little about the two of them too.

Taking his bottle, she prepared it as quickly as she could, sitting down at the table and feeding him. She promised herself she'd take care of him. For Peeta. For Marvel, who he'd never remember. For the future… if they had any. Cato often went on about Peeta bringing the Tracker-Jackers to murder them in their sleep, which wasn't true in the slightest, and now after last night, when he had killed Marvel with no second thoughts or guilt, she wouldn't put it past him to do it himself. If he turned on them, it would most likely be the end. Peeta had tried to take him on last night, but had only ended up with bruises and a large cut on his arm, and maybe Thresh, who was quite tall and built, though she had only caught sight of him a few times, might be a match, but she still had no idea. Trying to shake the thoughts from her mind, she looked down at her son. Her only hope for a future. She didn't want him to grow up in a world like this.

xxxx

Brushing red strands of hair out of her face, throwing hammers and nails at the dented, brown tool shop walls, Finch searched for the bag of sand she had left her earlier. This was going to work. She just knew it. If she had the filtration device she had planned out and was beginning to build all sorted out, she'd be in a much better position. Clean, drinkable water once the tank, and the bottles were all gone, while the other gangs and strays poisoned themselves or dehydrated… the thought made her laugh to herself. Swearing to herself as a blade which once seemed to belong to a pair of now broken scissors, her search was getting more frustrating. How could she lose a bag of sand? The thought of a thief had popped into her mind at first, but what would anyone around here want with sand? Kicking a toolbox out of her way, opening a burgundy cupboard, she found it. In perfect condition, completely full with what she needed for her device. Carefully walking out, she almost dropped her bag when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around quickly, looking up at the guy that towered over her. The new addition to her now always-growing home, Thresh, she thought his name was.

"Bloody hell! I thought you were the Tracker-Jackers!" Finch hissed in a small voice. "What are you doing in here?"

"Searching for a hammer. The headboard of my bed broke." Thresh responded, he looked down at the bag of sand. What was she planning? An indoor beach? The redhead pointed behind her.

"It's in there somewhere. Now, can you please move out of the doorway so I can leave?" Finch muttered, as he stepped to the side. She gave him a nod, slightly acknowledging him as she left. The only thing she had gathered with all this group was all they wanted to do was bother her. One minute, someone's giving birth, getting sick, stabbing the leader of the Tracker-Jackers and throwing him over the balcony, or looking for a hammer. What was next? Someone blowing up the kitchen? She had no idea what to expect around what had been her own home anymore. Stepping back inside her workshop, seeing no more signs of people awake in the mall, other than Thresh and the sight of Madge feeding the baby, she was finally satisfied now that she was alone. Slowly dropping the bag of sand on her bench, she unlocked her food cupboard. Opening up a tin of creamed rice, she took her first bite quickly. She had just realised how hungry she was. Sliding over in the direction of the contraption she was working on, before she remembered something. Gravel. She had forgotten the gravel. Taking another bite, she wondered when she could get some.

"Finch, are you sure you saw a hamm-" Thresh began, entering her workshop, eyes the size of dinner plates as he noticed the can, the open cupboard, and her eating. His eyes darted to read the labels on the cans. Creamed rice, of course, peaches, pears, beef casserole, she had hit the jackpot! Immediately, Finch looked up, furious with herself. She had let the Cato incident happen again. She hoped, despite how he towered over her, that he wouldn't be so aggressive. He said nothing for a few minutes, the two's eyes locked on each other. "Do the others know?" he simply asked.

"Only Cato. He burst in like you did." Finch managed to shoot back. Surprisingly, he didn't grab her wrists or throw her against the wall, like Cato had done. He moved over to the cupboard, slamming the door. She winced at the loud sound, hoping no one would be alerted by the noise. What was he doing?

"Just this time, alright?" Thresh mumbled, Finch wondering what he meant. "I'll pretend I saw nothing. Just this time. Not again. It will be your job to tell all the others." he continued firmly, leaving quickly, no more questions about the hammer, the stash, the sand, or anything. She sat there shocked for minutes before bringing herself back to reality. Had that just happened? Thresh letting her off the hook? She hoped he wasn't blushing. Hurriedly finishing her can, hiding the evidence, she turned to her invention.

_Gravel._ She told herself. _Forget about that… just focus on gravel._

xxxx

By ten that morning, everyone had awoken, eating awkwardly as Katniss hoped Cato and Peeta wouldn't kill eachother. After some remarks, one punch being thrown, and dishes being cleaned up, Katniss managed to get Peeta and Madge in her room in Mason Records, where they talked about what they would do with the body… they couldn't leave it here for much longer. Eventually, Peeta and Madge decided they would bury him at sea. The graveyards were filled to the brim, ending up with parks, and once they had shut down, school ovals being dug up to bury bodies in, and they wouldn't be able to honour him properly, in Madge's opinion. Hoping no one would be found dead when she returned, she came with them , at a strange request at the last minute from Madge. Wrapping her black jacket around her as the breeze picked up, she tried not to look down at the shopping cart she was gripping. They had managed to keep him well-concealed in a white sheet, and themselves in some greenery as they got further out to the beach. It was quite tiring, and it had to be at least one before they had gotten anywhere close to the beach. Wheeling the shopping cart behind Peeta, she let go and began to scavenge the beach for things that could be useful for the 'funeral' they were attempting to set up. Peeta found an old rowboat, which he tried to lodge out of a rock without breaking it, while Katniss searched the other side of the beach.

At the end of the beach, Katniss found an old shack, looking as if was about to fall to the ground. Cautiously, she entered, finding a torn fishing net and hammock, a pillow which was as hard as a rock, and once moving an old, battered armchair, she found a can of fuel, and a strange engine of some sort. Picking it up quickly, a plan formed in her mind. Marvel though himself a great warrior, didn't he? So why not send him out in a burning boat? It seemed fitting enough She hoped the idea would not seem distasteful to Madge and Peeta.

Taking one more search, just in case she found anything that could be useful back at the mall, only finding a picture of a woman who had to be in her eighties, and a blonde teenager with striking eyes, both holding a fish from a hook with smiles on their faces. It looked as if the photo had took place on this very beach. Setting it down, she quickly left. Happy memories. Time they'd never get back. It was better not to think.

Peeta walked towards her as her grey eyes scanned the beach. Peeta had wrestled the boat free, and it was by Madge's feet. His eyes went down to the red can of fuel in her hand.

"I found this. Katniss told him, looking back down at the can. "Since you managed to get that boat, I was thinking we could send him off like this, in a burning boat."

"Like a warrior." Peeta responded, saying what she exactly thought. Giving her a nod, he turned back over to Madge as she followed him back to where the girl was – staring out at the sea, obviously trying to forget. She looked back at him quickly, the two laying him in the boat quietly as she held onto the can tightly, going off to look for something that would burn. She managed to find a few pieces of driftwood, hoping it would be enough. The boat wasn't huge, only a relatively normal sized rowboat. She took back her findings to the two. As he was about to set the boat alight, a thought crossed her mind again.

"You should say something." She told him. Peeta looked back at her, and then at his brother's body. To most, he was a monster, a killing machine, but he knew he was bitter, and hurt, and had taken the killing of the adults in one of the worst ways possible. Her gave her a nod. He had never been good with speeches, but he would try his very best. For Marvel. For Madge. For the baby he'd never get to know. For everything that was actually good about him.

"Goodbye, brother. I hope your journey into the afterlife will be a safe one. Mom, Dad, everyone will be waiting for you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from him…" Peeta cuts himself off abruptly, looking down. "Goodbye." he pulled the boat out to sea, setting it alight. He watched until he was knee deep in water, before quietly returning to the beach.

Looking out at the water, there was no doubt about it. Marvel, the once great leader of the Tracker-Jackers was gone.

xxxx


	12. Chapter Eleven

**A/N: I forgot to say it last chapter, but I gave The Dawn a new summary, and I just made the story a cover. It's not the best thing in the world, but I'd like it, and I'd like my readers opinion on it if they wanted to give it :) To MockingJayOdesta, I'm glad you loved the chapter! Johanna will probably be mentioned a few times in this story, and will become a much larger character in the two sequels. Finnick will be joining the story in a few chapters, and yes, that shack was his! Gale, you'll have to wait awhile for... he most likely won't be coming in until the third part. Effie, sadly, was taken by the virus. To Five Elements, your review made my day! I'm so glad you like the story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one! **

Chapter Eleven

Slowly and quietly, Katniss, Peeta and Madge returned to the mall, the breeze biting at their skin. If anything, it kept the gangs indoors, the only exception being the Tracker-Jackers, sirens bleating in the distance, a break to the city strays who they hunted for blood. Buttoning up her coat, Katniss peered around her as they entered the wooded area that lead to the sewer entrance of the mall. Madge and Peeta were slightly behind her, no quiet and slow predators lurking. Sliding off the manhole cover, she climbed down, the squeaking of the rats making her skin crawl. She could tolerate most animals, but rats made her uncomfortable. Spreading diseases, their disgusting, sharp teeth, gnawing on whatever it could be found. Without a word, like it had been since Peeta made his speech at the beach funeral, Peeta helped Madge down the ladder first, climbing down himself and sliding the cover of the manhole back over. Opening the door, Katniss wincing at the creak that came from it, finding no person in sight. She quickly corrected herself. Cato stood at the top of the staircase, smirking as Madge shut the door behind her.

"You're back. I was wondering what was taking so long." Cato stated. Peeta and Katniss, standing at the bottom stared up at him, ice in their eyes. Peeta took a few steps closer to the stairs.

"Why would that be?" Peeta asked, for some reason honestly curious. Katniss stepped beside him, Madge choosing to stay further away from the two, wondering if he'd join them at the bottom of the stairs.

"So we can put you, the girlfriend and the brat out." Cato answered, crossing his arms. "No one wanted to here in the first place… and we all sure detest you now after last night."

"Do you speak for all of us now?" Madge spoke up, unable to look at him, obviously annoyed , though a small pang of sadness was in her tone. When she did, the memory of him stabbing Marvel and throwing him over the balcony came back full-force, like she was being punched hard in the stomach, being thrown over that balcony herself.

"We aren't going anywhere." Peeta said firmly. Where was there to go? The streets, which would soon be full of even more chaos and anarchy once everyone came to the realization that Marvel was dead. The Tracker-Jackers would be furious, ready to avenge their leader by attempting to murder everyone they suspected responsible, a list that would probably include the Jabberjays, their biggest rival, the Mutts, an eerie tribe that dressed in black and white and ran the casino in the middle of the city, apparently hanging from trapezes from the ceiling, doing tricks similar to something from the circus. Some people had nicknamed them the Circus Freaks. They seemed harmless… who would be doing circus tricks in a world like this? But, they were known to spill blood, a lot of it if you crossed them. Also, they ran the casino, which gave them a lot of power, many addicted to gambling looking up to them greatly and eventually joining them. It was rumoured they were almost as big as the Jabberjays. The other gangs would fight back against the Tracker-Jackers fury, leading an all out war to begin in the city. A war he desperately didn't want to be set in the middle in. "You killed her child's father. The future."

"He was a complete monster! " Cato spat, completely ignoring Madge's words. "He's gone now. He's not coming back, and you should all be grateful. I was doing you all a favour." Katniss began climbing the steps, Cato stopping in front of her. She wanted to say something, just before Cato opened his mouth to say something ridiculous again. The future. Peeta's words hit her once again. Though the baby was Marvel's, it was all they had as a hope, a goal to make the future better for that child. Murdering Marvel only made Cato as bad as the great leader had been.

"They are staying, and that's final." Katniss looked up at Cato, into his cold blue eyes, hoping he'd shut up, though it wasn't likely. As long as he didn't get his way, this argument would keep on.

"Fine. See how long you'll last." Cato practically screamed at her. "Though he pretends he's Mr Nice Guy, I'm sure he's spying for them, last night only proved my point after the truth came out about him and Marvel being brothers. You'll only realise it just before he kills you in your beds!" Again, Cato stormed off, starting the baby's screaming again. Katniss looked down at the beige floor, her grey eyes then turning to Peeta and Madge. Peeta still seemed quite annoyed, Madge pale. Madge quickly climbed up the stairs, looking to Katniss a if she was about to pass out soon, most likely to check on the baby.

This, like she had almost one hundred percent expected, wasn't going to be a smooth ride, and it never would be.

xxxx

Peeta did it again. He couldn't leave it, he had to check whether the Tracker-Jackers had thought Marvel dead yet. As soon as he had helped Madge with the baby, Cato bickering with Katniss again, the rest goodness knew elsewhere, he had left. Currently he was in a rail yard, after following their sirens, curled up in a blackened train carriage, unable to move in case of someone picking up on the movement. From his limited view, he could see most of the mighty gang standing around the car, Marvel's second in command, or co-leader, most of the time he couldn't tell, Clove standing on top of the battered police car, chanting his name, the others joining her. As he had expected, his absence was noticed, Peeta's heart racing faster as what was going to happen coming to mind. With Marvel dead, or as Clove currently thought, missing, she'd be the new leader. His brother was strong, ruthless, cruel, and though it pained him to think it, insane, her possessing all of his qualities as well, but something he couldn't put his finger on made her more sinister, more deadly. Was it the war paint, today being a thick strip of black along her eyes, three blood red lines underneath it? The way she spoke, in a cruel manner that would make anything sound immediately terrifying? Or, was it the knives? The thing she carried with her at all times, strapped to the sides of her black leather plants, some still caked in blood from her victims, more almost guaranteed to be in the inside of her black vest. Her gaze was not on her loyal followers, but to the distance. Looking into her eyes was a mistake, making him feel as if she had stabbed him with one of her knives in the heart.

They continued to chant for what felt like hours, but eventually they moved, having no luck with finding him, into their car, screaming his name and their signature remark, leaving the rail yard. Though they were long gone as he crawled out from his cover, the chants still ringing in his ears. He processed the almost useless information. They knew he was missing, but he had no idea what they thought. He was sure they did not suspect his death, maybe gone off for a few days without word to scour for another place, or to hunt down someone personally, or if he had been taken by a rival gang. He suspected an ambush and a hard battle between the Jabberjays when they found them, eager for information on their great leader.

Soon, another thought came into his mind as he ran, going to forage for food before heading back. Clove must never, ever find out about the baby. That would guarantee death. The two knew eachother from before, they had gone to the same school, so she knew of the two's brotherhood, but they had barely even talked . He'd still know who he was though, and if she found him, wouldn't hesitate to interrogate him.

He sighed, climbing over the fence of the rail yard, hoping he'd be able to stay alive another day.

xxxx

Katniss looked down at her roster, placing it on the wall of the café. After all the Marvel drama, she had almost forgotten about it until Glimmer ran out of the café screaming about rats. Now, it was six thirty, and she was making dinner for the group with Glimmer, who was awful company. She only chattered about make up, Cato, the time she almost burnt down the school kitchens, and make up again… she had no idea someone could love make up so much. Katniss barely wore it, only thinking of one time where she did. Stirring the meat, she mumbled something to herself. Almost more than anything, she wanted fresh food. Juicy apples, still warm bread, filled with nuts and raisins, creamy cheese. It was all gone, either out of reach or the ones left were too lazy to live off the land. If she got a chance, she'd go foraging tomorrow, and try to make something with the oranges Rue back. They'd only last so long, and she didn't want to waste something so fresh.

"Can you tell everyone that dinner is ready?" Katniss asked Glimmer, who was currently staring at herself in a compact mirror, the reason why most of the meat was burnt. Closing it, she left. Putting everyone's share on the table, she hoped the roster would go down well. If it was anything like the rationing roster, probably not. It had to be done, now that no one wanted to help out. The place was looking filthy.

"What's that?" Prim asked as she sat down at the table, eating her meat and diced tomatoes eagerly, pointing to the chore roster as Thresh and Rue joined them.

"I'll explain it once everyone joins us." Katniss nodded, standing beside the roster as Glimmer took her seat, Finch, Peeta, Madge and Cato joining them soon after. As she sat down, Finch asked the same question Prim did. Katniss pointed to it, hoping not to get a complete uproar.

"This is the roster I wrote up earlier, the place is filthy and we've already had a rat infestation. We can't afford disease, we can barely get by at the moment, and we have a baby to care for!" Katniss began.

"Why do we need that? I don't want to be bossed around, we had all that with the adults!" Glimmer complained. Katniss struggled not to roll her eyes.

"You don't want to die of disease, don't you? Before this, no one barely even helped to wash up." Katniss muttered, looking around at the group. "We're all responsible for our own living spaces, and we all do something to help this place in some way or another. We've managed to come this… far." she struggled with the last word. Was it really far? They had survived losing their families, the gangs, even brought a child into the world…. but could they take any more?

"And why does she have basically nothing?" Cato asked, pointing to Madge's name. "Not that she'll be around long enough to actually do anything."

"We're staying here. You'll have to live with it." Peeta mumbled. Cato opened his mouth to continue, but Katniss got her words out.

"She'll be looking after the baby most of the day." Katniss looked over at the roster. She had given her cooking lunch twice, and dinner once, washing the windows by the café, and the rest of the time to look after the baby. She hoped he'd get her name, but it wasn't her place to ask. "The chores will begin tomorrow. We all do our share, to keep ourselves alive."

The rest of the meal was filled with complaints, muttering, and whining, making Katniss want to just disappear, though she had expected it to happen. Did they even want to live in this place together? She certainly didn't but there was nowhere else to go…

xxxx

The next morning, Peeta had gone off to forage, which was his job on the roster. Sliding the manhole cover back over, he quickly took off, remembering a large stash that he recalled belonging to the Jabberjays, in an old school bus, well-concealed underneath a huge train. It was often left unattended. That was the problem with the gangs. Almost, all the time, they always though they were always right, they could be the mighty one and rise to power. Because of that, they could end up being slightly careless and quite arrogant. Climbing up a fence that would lead him to his goldmine, tossing his bag over, he breathed in the fresh air. Though anything could happen and it kept him mostly alert, liked to get away from the mall at times, especially now. He knew they were attempting, well some of them, to make something for themselves, but sometimes staying in that mall made him sick. How Cato could just get away with killing his brother, just because he was the leader of the Tracker-Jackers.

Hitting the ground with a crash, he looked around to see if any predators had come out at the sound. Besides him, racing to the bus, there was no one in around at all… Kneeling under the train to hide himself, be quickly crawled over to the bus, beginning to search through the goods, when he heard the sirens, and screams of the name of their leader. The Tracker-Jackers were out to play. Throwing a few things into his bag, the things he took time to recognise being a bag of carrots that looked in decent shape, two tins of pears, and two tins of meat. Peering from his spot, he could only see the strips of white, blue and red from the car. He'd have time to run. Getting up as fast as she could, he accidentally tripped over a brick lodged in the dirt. Hitting the ground with a thud, he groaned in pain… a mistake. The Tracker-Jackers were now pulling up, racing through the field, noticing his presence.

"Come on, get him!" one of them screamed, him and his group pointing to him. As he chased after him, Peeta's blue eyes locked on the fence as he got up as quickly as his body let him, shouting approval as they ran with the gang member. Throwing his bag over the fence, seeing no one else on the other side, he began to climb the fence, only to be roughly grabbed once halfway over. Attempting to kick them, making them more infuriated, they threw him to the ground, beating him as they dragged him away. Just before he passed out, Peeta wondered if they had recognised him.

When he awoke, his vision was blurry for at least fifteen minutes. He could only see the blackened outlines of… something, and could gather the fact that he was restrained by his arms to the ceiling from it. Red, blue and black blobs were Tracker-Jackers on guard, not that there was a high chance of him getting away. Once his vision cleared slightly, he noticed his grey pants were full of tears and splatters of blood. They had beaten him with baseball bats to get him knocked out, and once they had brought him here they had obviously switched to knives. Peeta was quite sure his arms were full of cuts as well. If only he could see them properly.

It was still light out, still morning… was it still the morning he had set out, or had a day or two passed? The only sounds coming from a faint crackle of fire and boots crunching on gravel, the noise coming closer and closer. As the owner of the boots came closer, his eyes locked with hers. She had gotten what she wanted. An interrogation, and the chance to finally kill him.

"Hello, Peeta." Clove stepped up onto the blackened thing he was hanging from, dismissing the surrounding Tracker-Jackers. They gave her a simple nod, disappearing quickly. This was her kill. No witnesses. "I've been expecting you…" Peeta tried to bring himself to try and nod, but his stiff neck made it almost unbearable. "Let's just get to the point of why I brought you here instead of letting my boys kill you straight away." she grabbed a knife from her vest, holding it to his neck. "And don't try to play dumb. I know you know something…."

xxxx


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"Did you remember to bring the wires this time?" Finch muttered to Thresh as she put the crate down in the corner of the sewers as she tried to avoid the rats. By complete accident, after dropping a piece of her up and coming filtration system after dinner, which he had returned to her, he had noticed a small flaw in her system that could potentially make the risk of them being killed even higher. Begrudgingly, letting people help her wasn't her strong point, the two had begun working together, though they were still on extremely rocky ground with eachother after the 'stash' incident which Thresh was trying to forget as he had promised, proving harder than he thought it would be. They were close to running out of food, and pickles with flour didn't seem like the most delicious or filling option… but soon that'd be what they'd be living on. Peeta had gone off foraging earlier, and though it was mostly in vain, he hoped he would return with some goods. Being well-defended wouldn't even matter if they all starved.

"I got it, and the laptop." Thresh responded, passing the laptop, which had been able to keep on running with the help of Finch's extensive collection of batteries, wires coming out of it in all directions with a trip wire hooked up to Finch, praying it would end up working. She elaborately set it up, smirking in approval of the alarm. The redhead obviously had a great knowledge in what she was doing. "Would you like to test it now?" Finch gave him a nod, typing in something quickly, stepping away from the device.

"It's set to go off in twenty seconds… let's go and see their reactions." Finch grinned, hints of deviousness in her voice. "Just to see if it's loud enough, of course. As intended." she continued, though it was obvious what she wanted. To attempt to scare the life out of Cato, just once. Nodding, Thresh opened the sewer door, letting her in first, going in himself he waited for the alarm to blare.

Within twenty seconds, the mall was filled with the sounds of lightning crashing, a screaming woman, and howling wolves, it deafening, sure to throw off attackers of their game, making them more vulnerable. Running out of the café, dropping their rags as they covered their ears, Rue and Prim looked at eachother, trying to block out the noise. Seconds later, Katniss and Cato ran down from separate directions, weapons clenched in their fists. The baby began to scream. Trying to calm it, Madge emerged from Kitchenware pale.

"What the hell is that?!" Cato scowled, screaming over the noise, looking at Thresh and Finch's faces, the two smirking at each other, proud of their system greatly.

"Our- _my_ alarm system." Finch responded, pointing to the door to the sewers. "It's safe to say it works… or should I keep it going for a little longer? Just to make sure it has no faults…"

"Turn it off before you get us all killed!" Cato shouted back, Finch opening the door. "It certainly works." he continued, still gripping his weapon tightly. The sound quickly stopped, Prim breathing a sigh of relief as she uncovered her ears. For a few seconds, Katniss was actually in disbelief, her weapon down. Finch had actually gotten the alarm system working! As long as it didn't end up backfiring on them, it was absolutely perfect.

xxxx

"I won't do this often, and if you somehow manage to stay alive after I come back, I hope you don't think I'll do it again." Clove said firmly as she made another cut into Peeta's cheek, making him wince. Slipping her knife back into her vest, she cupped his chin tightly. "I'm giving you one hour to think. One more chance, a final chance to tell me about Marvel. I don't appreciate being lied to," she hissed, producing a blindfold from her pocket, quickly tying it around him, before turning to her guards.

"Leave him be. He needs to think alone." Clove ordered, stepping off the platform Peeta was tied to as they followed, nodding. As their boots crunched in the gravel, Peeta waited for his end to come, gritting his teeth as from his cut slipped into his mouth, leaving a disgusting metallic taste which made him shiver. If he told her about Cato's murder of Marvel, it would only lead to a lot more questions, anarchy, and the mall being forced to be revealed. Madge and the baby couldn't die. Little Prim and Rue couldn't die. They all had to keep on going for as long as they could. He wanted to survive solely for Madge and his nephew.

The wind howled as he thought about the mall and the members of their group… or were they a tribe? They didn't exactly have the unity of a tribe, not that the Tracker-Jackers were running around holding hands, with complete trust in each other. Peeta had accepted he could never trust properly ever again. Not with people like Clove and Cato around. He could only hope that he wouldn't end up with a knife in the back one night, slowly bleeding to death. The only person he fully trusted was Madge, and unless someone could really prove it wrong, it would stay that way. He sort of liked Katniss, but that didn't mean he essentially trusted her. He did admire her for somewhat attempting to take control of their strange, strange bunch. Suddenly, he was ripped by the thoughts of Katniss and the group by the feeling of someone cutting his binds. Ripping off his blindfold, he looked around. Not a person in sight. Still suspecting foul play, someone maybe attempting follow him home, he raced off in a different direction then his usual direction back to the mall, hoping he'd lose whoever may be tracking him by the time he neared the wooded entrance.

As Peeta ran off, Clove crawled out from underneath the platform, smirking as she twirled her knife in her hand. Slipping it into her vest, she began to run after him, as quiet as a mouse. He obviously had somewhere for shelter. Now, she just had to successfully follow him back.

xxxx

Back at the mall, Katniss was doing her daily check of the food store as Rue cleaned the kitchen counters beside her. She was especially grateful for her rationing system, which was working very well… unlike the chores roster. So far, only Rue, Prim, Peeta, and herself had made an attempt to do what was waiting for them. Madge could be added to the short list, as she was looking after the baby, but that didn't really count. She was just using the spare time Katniss had given her.

The food was getting quite limited, so she was hoping Peeta would return with something soon. She turned around quickly at the sound of boots. Glimmer, as usual, was doing her makeup, applying new tribal markings, the glittery pink heart on her left cheek now replaced with a daisy. Katniss struggled to not roll her eyes, them quickly moving over to the dishes.

"Glimmer? Didn't I put you down for washing up?" Katniss asked, frowning as she looked at the roster. There it was, in her purple scrawl, GLIMMER – BREAKFAST WASHING UP. Glimmer looked over at her, sighing as she put down her lipstick, green eyes going down to her nails, the blonde holding her hand up for the other girl to see.

"I painted these fresh this morning, and I can't get them ruined! Don't you have gloves, or something?" Glimmer muttered. This time, Katniss couldn't stop herself in time. She rolled her eyes, slamming the doors of the food store loudly, making an unsuspecting Rue jump. Quickly, Katniss whispered an apology to her, slightly embarrassed she had scared her.

"Well, the state of your nails is going to be the last of your worries if the rats come back!" Katniss' eyes went up to the roster. "I didn't put this up to be stared at all day!" Glimmer sighed, getting up and storming into the café.

"Fine! It's not my fault you're jealous of my nails!" Glimmer cried as she snatched a dish. Katniss cursed under her breath, sighing. Sometimes, she really regretted staying here. There were times when she wanted to pull her hair out. Alerted by the sound of the alarm again, making Rue race out of the kitchen, ears covered, Glimmer dropping a plate, Katniss ran down the stairs.

"Finch! I thought I told you to fix up that damn thing!" Cato shouted across the mall to the redhead, who was most likely blocking him out, surrounded in her own world of gadgets and gizmos. Peeta burst through the door, ears covered like Rue, almost dropping to the floor.

"I see Finch's alarm works!" Peeta said loudly over the sound. Finch, like it was a chore she was meant to be doing, sighed and ran down to turn off the alarm, everyone relieved as it stopped. Katniss looked over at Peeta, raising an eyebrow as she noticed all his cuts and bloody pants… as well as no food bag in sight.

"Great, it had to get the brat started again." Cato muttered as the screaming of the baby echoed around the mall. Madge appeared, attempting to calm it, but it didn't stop, only getting louder as another scream joined the mix. Cato and Katniss looked over at Glimmer, who was pointing to a corner. "What's the problem now?! Broke a nail or something?" he growled at the blonde.

"It's her!" Glimmer shrieked again. Cato's gaze followed her finger, and in a dark corner stood Clove, leader, along with the now-dead Marvel, of the Tracker-Jackers, who had followed Peeta back. At the attention, she ran up the stairwell leading down to the Service Area.

"I'll go after her." Cato's attention was immediately off the empty spot and onto the stairwell, racing after her. "I've already taken one out. She should be unbelievably easy."

"I'm coming too." Peeta followed, limping slightly. Though Cato looked as if he was about to protest, he let him go after her. Running into the Service Area. they realised it may take a bit of time to find her. The boxes, shelves, and debris were good camouflage… and she had her sets of knives with her. "I'll take the left side."

"Fine with me." Cato muttered, just wanting to kill her. As he searched, he heard Peeta cry out in pain, and before he knew what was going on, he was lying on the ground, either dead or unconscious. Honestly, Cato didn't care at all.

xxxx

After Peeta was rendered unconscious, Katniss began to search for Clove, leaving the rest in the café, wondering if she had come alone, or armed with her men. They would've burst in now, wouldn't they? Or were they waiting for Clove's orders? Everyone who wasn't unconscious or searching for Clove, was gathered in the café, waiting it out, until they heard a scream and cursing, followed by the rattling of metal. In the next fifteen minutes, after Thresh had done a brief search on the sewers, finding absolutely no one there, Cato and Katniss gathered with the others in the café, after the dark haired girl had dragged Peeta into the pharmacy to rest. She'd ask Prim if she'd try and tend to his wounds after they had discussed their new problem… Clove.

"Did you kill her, Cato?" Glimmer asked, eager to know everything that had happened.

"No. She suggested locking her up, for now. I'm not sure for how long." Cato turned to Katniss. "So, our wise Katniss, what are we supposed to do with her now?!" Cato mocked.

"That's what I was about to discuss." Katniss hissed at him, eyes on the group.

"We could try and get some information out of her… she could end up some use." Madge mumbled, though she wasn't exactly sure if what she was saying would end up being helpful.

"I say we hang her." Glimmer said quickly.

"I could stab her, take her out like I did the other one." Cato smirked.

"I… I have some pills. We could put her to sleep… kill her humanely.." Finch added. Though, she was Clove, the leader of the Tracker-Jackers, Katniss was slightly appalled. were they really just sitting here discussing how to kill another survivor in this city, though her status was 'higher?'

"Humanely?!" Katniss shot out, before she even meant to speak.

"Well, what do you suggest?" Cato scowled, his gaze going back to her.

"I'm drawing up a guard duty roster until we decide something proper. We can't kill her… _at least maybe not yet, _but we can't release her either."

"Katniss…. are the Tracker-Jackers going to come for us?" Prim asked softly, eyes the size of dinner plates.

"No, no, they're not Prim." Katniss said hurriedly, now slightly angry at herself for letting Prim and Rue listen to the conversation that had just occurred around the table.

Even though she had told her no, Katniss had no idea if she was actually telling Prim the truth…

xxxx


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Katniss had set up her guard duty roster as quick as she could, which went down considerably better than the chore roster, despite the protests that remained from Cato and Glimmer right up to bed. Though, Cato seemed quite… interested in their prisoner, making Glimmer quite annoyed. He had volunteered to take her meals to her, and do the double shift, would would last from midnight to three in the morning. It baffled Katniss, but she didn't question it. More hours to rest. Not that after Prim's comment at the table and the events of the day in a whole would let her sleep much at all, anyway.

Currently, Thresh was on guard, sitting on an old wooden stool as he silently build a card house on a crate in front of him, refusing to lock eyes with or acknowledge the prisoner at all. Surprisingly, she had stopped screaming threats a few hours ago, instead switching to the occasional comment hoping Thresh would retaliate. So far, he'd been able to almost zone her out, but the bars rattling as well as the drooping of card house after card house brought him back to reality.

"I'm actually quite surprised that a group as pathetic as you all has been able to last so long." Clove paced around the cage, snark, spitefulness and mockery all in her tone at once. Thresh didn't look at her, eyes staying on the card he had just retrieved from the hard concrete floor. "I'm beginning to wonder if you're deaf." Thresh continued building his house, simply shrugging at her comment, the silence being quite uncomfortable to sit through, until Katniss finally came in to do her shift.

"I'll take over now, Thresh." Katniss stepped in, taking a quick glance at their prisoner, and then back at Thresh, who was quickly collecting his cards, ready to leave as soon as possible. Giving her a nod as he left, Katniss sat on Thresh's stool, the silence that had passed the majority of Thresh's shift continuing on, until Clove broke the silence.

"I still don't understand your point… why the guard? I'm not going anywhere." Clove scowled, eyes on Katniss as she finally stopped her pacing, fingers locked around the front bars of her prison.

"We feel safer keeping a watch on you." Katniss simply responded, trying to find something, anything else to focus on in the room. It was like everywhere else in Panem, though. Dark, ruined, and trashed. Clove gave Katniss a smirk, rattling the bars again as she rolled her dark eyes.

"You guys are a strange, scared little mob, aren't you?" Clove said slowly, her eyes locked with Katniss' grey ones. "Outside, you wouldn't last five minutes. We could tear you all apart." Katniss raised an eyebrow.

"And that's something to be _proud _of?" Katniss spoke back firmly, annoyed.

"I'm not the one who is hiding in a rotting old mall like a frightened little mouse." Clove smirked, crossing her arms.

"Why do you consider yourselves so special, anyway? You destroy things, kill people. What do you even gain from it?" Katniss asked, the more she went on her voice getting louder.

"Power. The only thing that matters in this world." Clove snapped back sharply. Power. What would eventually destroy them all, like it did the adults, if this all kept up.

xxxx

"Peeta?" Madge, who had taken over from Prim an hour ago, gently pressed the cool cloth to the back of his head again, the exact place where Clove had whacked him, sending him out cold, as the boy in the bed next to her began to regain consciousness. Groaning, he attempted to roll onto his front, but Madge softly pushed him down, hoping not to hurt him. "You need to rest." she wanted to question him about his cuts and bruises, most likely inflicted by Clove, who had followed him home, but he was probably still too weak. A hand reached up to try and grab hers. Taking it in hers, Madge gave him a small, gentle smile. He was hopefully going to be alright.

"What happened, Madge?" Peeta asked, barely understandable, voice weak as it was, which didn't help with the pillow muffling it. Madge wondered what to say. She couldn't exactly lie to him, but she didn't want to tell him the truth, either. Telling him about Clove, locked in the cage in the Service Area, would only get him worried and want him to get up, which he didn't need at all.

"Just an accident, which resulted in a head injury and you blacking out." Madge answered, being as vague as possible being her new strategy. In his state, he'd hopefully not ask many questions. Her eyes swerved to her sleeping son in Rue's basket beside her. At least he was fine… as fine as he could be in a world like this. He was so young. He didn't deserve to grow up in so much chaos.

"I see." Peeta simply said back, as he tried to piece together all his thoughts, head still cloud. Tracker-Jackers… escaping… Clove… everything was all clumped together. Wincing as he attempted to move again, the memory of Clove following him back to the mall came to the front of his mind. The last thing he could remember before his supposed black-out, was himself and Cato going after Clove. "Did you catch her… is she dead?"

"Cato and Katniss got her. No, Katniss is guarding her." Madge tried as hard as she could to not sigh. All she hoped was that he wouldn't try and get up. "She can't escape." Peeta would've nodded if he had the strength.

"Does she know about..." he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.

"As far as I know, she doesn't. Hopefully it stays that way." Madge responded softly, wondering what he exactly meant. About Marvel's death, or the baby? So far, it was most likely a no. If luck, which it wasn't often, was on their side, hopefully she wouldn't find out.

xxxx

Katniss had gone to bed, and Cato had begun his midnight shift. Sitting on the stool where Katniss and Thresh had sat before him, he watched Clove quietly, his gaze occasionally going to his knife. The silence continued for around a half hour, until Clove spoke up, coming close to to the bars again.

"You aren't scared of me, are you?" Clove asked, slightly teasingly. His eyes darted from his knife to the cage, standing up from his seat and moving over to the bars, like he had earlier. "The others wouldn't come close. Too afraid, I guess."

"No." Cato simply replied, raising an eyebrow. "Should I be?"

"Only when I'm angry, or annoyed. Like now. I don't particularly like being locked up." She scowled, moving from the front of the cage and pacing around, staring up at her prison.

"You'll have to get used to it. You're probably going to be here for a long, long time…" He responded, mockery in his voice. Running his knife a long the bars, he grinned. "If you don't kill you first."

"You all wouldn't have the guts." She faced, him not afraid in the slightest. They weren't like the Tracker-Jackers at all. They were strange, mostly quiet, and, in her opinion cowards. Once she got out, she'd make sure the Tracker-Jackers would burn this place to this ground.

"Well, it's probably for the better." He shrugs, going back over to his wooden stool. "You'd finally be reunited with your great leader." He stops just before he is about to sit down, looking down at the floor. "But now I've said too much…"

"What did you say?" By the words 'reunited with your new leader,' Clove was up at the bars again, rattling them like a madwoman. Giving her a satisfied smirk, he stepped back over to the cage, coming as close as he could, looking right into her eyes.

"He's dead." He simply stated, crossing his arms as he waited for her response. He doubted she'd show any weakness. Moving away from the bars sightly, she sighs.

"I figured, somehow." She mumbled as she remembered the strange note she had found at the hotel a few days ago, Peeta's name at the bottom. Eyes widening, her gaze went back to the boy at the bars. "Who? Not Peeta, was it?" She could never picture him killing his own brother… but times had certainly changed since the Virus. Maybe he had another side… a much more vicious side… that was just waiting to be unleashed? To her surprise, he simply chuckled.

"Him? Not a chance." He stopped laughing abruptly, gripping his knife in his hand and running it over the bars again. Neither one of them spoke for a few minutes before he finished what she was just waiting to hear. "It was me. A fair fight, of course. I was just better."

"You? Better?" Now, she was amused, ready to try and provoke him, just for a bit of fun. Of course, he could get in, but she wasn't afraid in the slightest. "I could take you out, and I'm a girl." She stepped away from the bars, the room silent again for a few minutes as she demonstrated her street fighting skills. "Don't worry, I can't get out."

"I can get in." He muttered, grinning. Rolling her eyes, she stared up at him.

"Look. I'm shaking!" She mocked, crossing her arms with a scowl. "Fine. Try me. I can take you out easily." Now, she knew her escape plan. She just hoped it would go the way she intended. Pulling the keys out of his pocket, he unlocked the cage, and stepped in…

xxxx

Getting up quickly, Glimmer put on her boots and jackets, drowsily heading down the stairs to the Service Area, still extremely tired. Her idea of a good night's rest was going to bed extremely late and waking up around noon, but in this world, it didn't exist. You always had to go early, hope you wouldn't get a knife in the back, ready for another day that may be your last. Navigating her way through shelves, she stared at the cage. Instead of Clove, who had been 'safely put away,' stood Cato, the raven-haired girl nowhere to be seen. Glimmer only had one idea of how this happened on her mind… and she was furious.

"Glimmer! Let me out!" Cato growled rattling the bars, bringing her back to the first night they had arrived in the mall. A long one, after an equally long day after losing Thresh, and a Tracker-Jacker chase. Crossing her arms, she stepped over to the cage, scowling.

"You were _in _there with her, weren't you?!" Glimmer said furiously. "Don't try to play stupid with me, either. You were eying her up all evening!"

"What? Just let me out!" Cato shouted back, not wanting to listen to her questions, set on getting out. Rattling the bars again, he began to shout curses as she headed towards the entrance. "Glimmer! Let me out, right now!"

"No. I need to let everyone else know about your huge screw up." Glimmer muttered, storming out, and heading into the kitchen. Taking a wooden spoon, she hit it against the balcony, hoping the group would awaken. One by one, they came out of their living spaces, still extremely groggy, some crabby, and mostly confused. Rubbing her eyes and tugging on a strand of her black hair, Katniss stepped forward with a sigh. Knowing Glimmer, this was probably useless. A split end crisis or something.

"What is it, Glimmer?" Katniss sighed, rubbing her temples, Glimmer sighing, pointing down to the Service Area staircase.

"Cato decided not to think, and because of that, we've lost Clove." Glimmer answered. A few mumbles were heard around the group, as well as groans and sighs.

"Wouldn't we have heard the alarm if she had escaped?" Madge asked, thankful her son had somehow managed to keep sleeping through the noise. That was the last thing she wanted now… especially after this news. Now, they were almost guaranteed to be dying in the next day, or in even less time is Clove acted extremely quickly. Finch chewed on her, lip, fiddling with her messy bun.

"The alarm is still kind of in development… it wasn't completely guaranteed to work." Finch said slowly, trying not to wince as blood filled her mouth. At least Cato was in the cage. Otherwise she'd most likely be the next person to go over the balcony.

"What?! So this could've been prevented?" Madge shot out, slightly embarrassed afterwards, before quickly shrugging off the feeling. This wasn't completely Finch's fault… it was Cato's fault for jumping into the cage with Clove in the first place.

"I'll go check the sewers." Thresh turned on his torch, heading down the stairs, hoping he wouldn't come face to face with the Tracker-Jackers. He didn't want to escape them once to fall back into their clutches again. Opening the door, finding the laptop with the alarm system on it dead, he climbed up the ladder, to find the manhole cover off. There was no doubt about it, Clove was gone. When he returned, the mood was still bleak. All eyes went to him as he switched off his torch. "She's gone."

"No…" Madge groaned, nervously looking around, as if a Tracker-Jacker would be standing right behind her. "What are we going to do now?" she continued softly, asking the question everyone was dreading. Holding onto the balcony railing, as if she was about to collapse any second, she hoped she'd get an answer.

"Well, we only have two choices I can think of," Katniss began. "We can stay here and defend out home, or try our luck out on the streets…"

"We should vote." Peeta said firmly as he emerged from the bottom of the stairs, having overheard the conversation as he had made his way from the Pharmacy. Katniss gave him a nod.

"Alright… all in favour of leaving the mall?" Katniss began. Only Madge and Rue raised their hands.

"Well, I guess now we should be prepping for an attack…" Finch stated, sly smirk on her face. She obviously had some things in mind for these invaders…

xxxx


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Later on that morning, the group had gathered in the café to work out their plan against the incoming attack. They'd be severely outnumbered, not everyone could actually fight, and one of the biggest problems out of all of them that they had was that they had next to no weapons. The Tracker-Jackers were rumoured to have a giant pile of any weapon you could ever want – knives, guns, crossbows, spears, whatever you needed to do your job correctly. None of them had seen many of the strays roaming the streets armed. The only thing they had at the moment were a few knives, and it was unlikely to find any weapons when scavenging. It was hard to even bring back some food. Putting the dishes of breakfast on the table and sitting down, Katniss wondered if anyone had come up with anything while she cooked.

"I was thinking… we could get some wood and nails from the tool shop, hammer the nails into the wood, and spread it all around the sewers. Or we could get some balloons that I found downstairs in the dollar store, fill them with petrol, and I could come up with a way to trigger an explosion. The Tracker-Jackers would be dead in minutes!" Finch smirked as she took a bite of breakfast. Katniss raised an eyebrow… this seemed brutal, but it could work.

"Seems… _interesting, _but what if we need to get out of the mall that way?" Katniss asked slowly, looking up at the amber eyed girl. Finch looked down at her plate, sighing. She hadn't thought of everything entirely.

"I didn't exactly consider that…" Finch mumbled, her gaze going over to the other side of the table, at the ice-blue eyed blonde that she hated more than ever. "We wouldn't even be planning for an attack if Cato hadn't let her out of the cage!"

"What I want to know is how she really got out." Peeta put down his fork. Glimmer turned to him, still looking as furious as she did earlier, not at all convinced by his 'nothing happened' story. If that was so, why was he locked up instead of Clove when she had come for guard duty?

"What I want to know is how he got in and what happened." Glimmer said angrily. "I think we all know what _actually _happened in there, so why don't you just tell us?" Cato looked down at his plate.

"She said she was sick. Only a few days left, and the last thing we need around here is yet another decaying Tracker-Jacker." Cato muttered, not looking up at the others. This obviously wasn't the most believable story, and once eventually looking up, he noticed he was greeted with almost all scowls.

"Trust me, I thought she was quite well when she tied me up and used me as a chopping board." Peeta said to him. Whatever had happened, it didn't change the fact Clove was gone, and they were in extreme danger now that their home was revealed. "Anyway… we should go back to trying to defend this place. Can we get the alarm working again?" Thresh turned to Finch, who had created the system. He had simply fixed up a few wires.

"It depends… but I'm sure we- _I _can try something out though. Even make it a little louder to throw the Tracker-Jackers off their game." Finch nodded, her usual smirk returning to her lips. Katniss managed a nod in her direction.

"Sounds… _promising." _Katniss held back a sigh, looking down at her food. Now, she had no real estimate of how long she and the others would have left.

xxxx

Breakfast was finished off as quickly as everyone could manage. Glimmer and Prim were sent off to the café to wash up, Katniss, Finch, Thresh, and Cato gathered in the redhead's workshop to discuss plans, while Peeta went off to go food and weapon searching, and Madge and Rue were sitting together on the floor in the blonde's room, in mainly silence. At first, this place had been seemingly a safe haven to Madge after the safe delivery of her son, somewhere that could finally provide protection, until things began to go downhill. Cato killing Marvel, Clove escaping, and the new threat off attack. Now, she felt foolish for putting so much faith in the place. More than anything, she wanted to go home, though 'home' was now non-existent. If only the Virus, the killings, the anarchy could just be a dream…

Taking her son out of the basket that served as his crib, her blue eyes filled with sadness. He'd have to grow up in this world, where he, like every other survivor, would be in constant danger. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve it at all. All she hoped was that he wouldn't have to watch his mother die slowly and painfully like she had watched hers. Heart sinking, she only remembered the dark-skinned younger girl being next to her when she heard a small cough.

"Are you alright?" Rue asked softly, brown eyes looking up at hers. Quickly, Madge looked up at her, feeling bad that she had forgotten her presence. Madge attempted to give her a small, convincing smile, but for some reason, it made her cheeks burn.

"Of course." Madge lied, giving a small nod, her tone extremely unconvincing. The younger girl wondered whether she should say something, but quickly decided against it. Once again, the room was consumed with silence. "Just a little nervous about… well, what might be coming."

"This place… something feels strange about it." Rue spoke up after what felt like an eternity for the both of them. She looked around the room, which was painted yellow, and was quite empty, with only Madge's bed, a few of the baby's things, and shelves, the contents of which had been salvaged by Finch before they had all arrived. Madge didn't feel like lying anymore. Putting her son back in his basket, her gaze went back over to Rue.

"I hate this place." Madge said back, nails digging into the floor of the shop. "At least with the Tracker-Jackers you knew your place. Here, I have no idea what to think…" Her mind went back to the early hours of the morning, when the vote to leave had taken place. She had voted in favour of leaving, as did one more person, and she swore it was Rue.

"Me either." Rue shrugged. "I'm not even sure of what we even are… it just seems like we come together sometimes and then do our own thing." Madge nodded. This was all true, and Madge didn't feel safe here anymore, either. It seemed like the streets were now coming indoors for her. Suddenly, something came out of Rue's mouth that made Madge go wide-eyed.

"We… we could try and get to the country, start our own life. Grow our own food, make a home, out of the crazy city." Rue's eyes weren't exactly filled with hope, only something that looked to Madge as a desire to get out of the mall. Madge had only heard stories about the country's state after the Virus, apparently a few of the evacuees had banded together to keep the farms going, but those were just rumours. The country, though basically unknown to her, seemed a lot better than what they had now,

"That sounds like a better life than what we have here…" Madge answered slowly and softly, looking down at the floor, wondering if she should say anything else. "But... there's one problem…" Their eyes turned to the baby, wondering what to do. They couldn't exactly take him with them, but Rue knew Madge couldn't just abandon her son.

xxxx

Returning to the beach where he had laid his brother to rest was obviously painful, but what Peeta was about to had to be at least attempted. It was risky searching for Clove, but surprisingly, she actually wanted to see him, and had promised she'd come to the beach alone and unarmed. Whether she'd keep that promise was unknown. Putting his bag down on the large rocks beside him, he looked out at the sea, as he waited and memories resurfaced. The beach was as quiet as it had been the day of the funeral, looking as if no one had visited since then, leaving something odd surrounding the area.

He was brought back to reality by the sound of boots and rolling rocks behind him, signalling the awaited arrival of Clove. Before he could even look around to see if she had ended up bringing her group with her, she jumped down from the high rocks and sat herself down beside him. No weapons seemed to be stashed away anywhere that he could see, but he knew of how clever she could be, keeping himself on guard just in case the meeting went the wrong way. Looking over at him, she crossed her arms, kicking her feet against the rocks slowly.

"You're going to be honest, aren't you? We're meeting by choice the time, too, and I want the truth." Clove said to him sharply as his hand reached into his bag, wrapping around something he'd been hesitant to give away at first, but soon decided if it kept Clove and the Tracker-Jackers from attacking, he'd have to. Marvel's talisman, the only thing Peeta took from his body before the funeral. "Your little friend told me that he was dead while he was guarding me, and that he killed him. What I want to know specifically is _how _and _why." _she scowled.

"I met with him a few days before it happened, and we organised to meet up in the mall later on. I thought everyone was asleep… then we were found, and suddenly everything went crazy. Before I knew what was going on, he was stabbed and killed." His words became increasingly harder to get out, but he tried not to show weakness in front of her, though it was a battle he was losing. When he finished, he looked over at the dark-haired girl, who solemnly nodded, looking down at the beach, until her eyes went back to his, obvious fury in them.

"So his death was your fault essentially?" Clove snapped at him, feet kicking against the rocks harders, hands pushed hard against them, so hard that blood was running down the rocks from the cuts she had received. Her eyes went back down to the warm sand, not wanting to look at him any longer. Her words hit Peeta like a blow to the head. This had been on his mind a lot since Marvel's death. Sure, it was Cato who stabbed him in the back, but it was he himself who had brought him into the mall. He gave her a slow nod, the two looking over at the beach, sitting in silence for a few minutes, until Peeta finally managed to remember the real reason he actually wanted to meet with her in the first place. Now, with the news of Marvel's death being fully true, not a lie from Cato to hopefully send her off-guard, she would want to kill them more than ever. Hand shaking, he pulled out the talisman, trying to steady his hand as he looked down at it for what would probably be the last time.

"I have something for you… if… if we can come to an agreement." Peeta said to her gradually, hoping his words wouldn't trigger her to attack him. Maybe, she had a hidden knife somewhere… but even if she didn't she could easily knock him out with her fists alone. She looked over at him, eyes darting down to the talisman.

"An agreement of what, exactly?" Clove raised an eyebrow, her brown orbs never leaving the item in Peeta's hand. Her arms were crossed more, her hands still bleeding slightly from the cuts from the rock. It didn't seem to bother her at all.

"If you agree to leave the mall, leave us alone." Peeta attempted to sound calm, but in reality he was quite freaked. Out in the open, on this beach, anything could happen. What was he thinking by choosing it?

"Why should I? You all locked me up." Clove answered with gritted teeth as her blood splattered on Peeta's pants. He tried to not look down at it, as he tried to think of a proper answer to give her.

"They were afraid of what you might do, it was all in self-defence. We weren't going to harm you." The last part was a lie, as they had wanted to execute her, but he hoped she wouldn't be able to tell. "We don't want to conquer other tribes, all we want is to keep to ourselves in our home." That wouldn't cut it. He had to try something else. Holding out the talisman to her, he thought of something he had come up with earlier. "You could keep his name alive in the Tracker-Jackers, as a great warrior… make him into a god of some sort…" he hated saying the last part the most, but it could win her over. His brother wasn't a god, just a depressing example of what the Virus had done to the children. Clove looked up at him, seemingly deep in thought, before finally speaking again.

"Fine." Clove hissed. "I'll leave you alone. Just this once, but bother me again and I'll get rid of all of you. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." Peeta handed over the talisman, nodding again. Clove quickly got up, running up the path of rocks, into the unknown. Slowly, Peeta began to trudge back to the mall, hoping this immunity would end up lasting.

xxxx


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I hope you enjoy this chapter, please leave a review! They make my day when they show up in my inbox, as well as follows and favorites! **

Chapter Fifteen

Laying down a blanket and pillow next to the other three beside it in the Service Area, Katniss looked around at her companions, and their meagre set up. With the plan she had devised after Finch had so nicely ordered 'everybody leave me in peace, I can't deal with all these stupid questions right now,' it had been decided, until the attack, or threats of an attack seemed to be over, most things would be moved down to the Service Area for protection. Her plan had been devised while inspecting the cage again. When the Tracker-Jackers attacked, the youngest ones, Rue and Prim, would climb onto the top of the lift out of sight, while the others would hide inside the lift, jamming all the doors and pulling it up. At the moment, it seemed genius, the Tracker-Jackers would most likely never find them. Though they had their hiding place sorted, many problems and questions still remained. How long would they have to stay in the lift? What was to become of the mall? Would they trash the place, burn it down, or blow it up? Would they actually live through the attack? There were so many questions… and no answers could be given until the attack they hoped would somehow never come.

Katniss was suddenly snapped back to reality by the screaming sounds of the alarm. Looking up at the lift, then at Prim and Glimmer, she hoped her plan would come into effect quick enough.

"Glimmer, get Rue and Prim on top of the lift, I'll go barricade the café!" Katniss ordered. The blonde gave her a nod as the other girl ran out, stacking the tables and chairs up, beginning to successfully barricade the stairs. A few minutes later, Finch came out and began to help her.

"I haven't heard the sirens… but it's them. They must of bought too many to take them all in her deranged police car." Finch muttered, just as them sewer door opened, revealing not a bunch of Tracker-Jackers ready to kill them all and destroy the mall, but Peeta, who was trying to push himself through a bunch of shopping trolleys they had barricaded the sewer door entrance with, not having much luck. Going down to join him, Katniss pulled the trolleys away, the alarm stopping. As Peeta went through to the mall, Katniss folded her arms, hoping he hadn't come back empty handed.

"You scared the life out of us!" Katniss sighed, grey eyes deciding to focus on his bag instead of his face. It didn't look exactly full, but hopefully there as at least something small inside they could eat. "Did you manage to find anything? Even weapons?" she added the last part, just in case. When he opened up his bag, revealing another bag of flour, a can of chopped carrots, and a can of peas. Maybe the flour could be used for some bread or pie later on, which would be both filling and different. No weapons came out of the bag.

"I'm pretty sure almost all of the weapons in the city are with the gangs." Peeta sighed. "How do you think they have so many ways to kill people?" he grimaced, sounding disgusted. Katniss nodded, sharing his grimace. At least they had their lift hiding plan. Trying to fight the Tracker-Jackers, even with more weapons would just be asking for death.

"Thank you for bring back the food, at least. I was worried all we'd have to eat is flour soon." Katniss nodded, moving out of his way as Peeta climbed upstairs to put the food up in the store. Another day with starvation avoided… but what about the Tracker-Jackers? Having a full stomach wouldn't matter if you were being ripped apart…

xxxx

Putting the food into their cupboard, Peeta couldn't help but grin, even in the circumstances when he saw the sight of Madge and Glimmer in the kitchen, flour in their blonde locks. Noticing his presence, Madge came over, giving him a smile, it becoming even wider when she saw he had brought back some food. The sight of a can was like Christmas to the inhabitants of Panem. It was quite sad, now. Fresh produce was a very rare thing to come across. Farms were just a distant memory, or a rumour. No one wanted to grow anything, it seemed like it. people were in delusion, like there was an unlimited stock of tinned food in the world. They'd only end up waking up when the shortages began.

"Peeta! You're back." Madge studied the labels on the cans, twirling a strand of blonde mixed with flour around her finger. Shutting the cupboard, he fully turned to face her properly.

"I guess you missed me, then." Peeta gave her a grin, before his attention went back to her flour covered hair. While it made him happy, it did send a pang through him. It reminded him of the old days, where he worked in his parents bakery with his brothers after school and on the weekends. Frosting the cakes and the cookies were his specialty. Now, he'd probably never get to do it again… or, if he somehow got a chance to do it once more, never actually enjoy doing it again. He wondered what she was actually doing. "What's going on here?" Madge smiled warmly at him, though he couldn't see it himself, behind the smile was guilt eating at her insides.

"I'm giving the baby a name tonight, and I wanted to have something a little more special, so Glimmer and I are making a pie." Madge dusted her hands on her apron, something she salvaged from a tipped over market stall near the entrance to the sewers. The bottom was slightly charred and torn, but it didn't matter to her at all. "Sadly stock is limited… so it's just tinned meat, but I hope it's enjoyed all the same." Nodding, Peeta took the can of peas as well as the can of carrots out of the food store, holding them out to her.

"Use half a can of each of these… try a vegetable pie, if you'd like to try it." Peeta offered. Madge nodded, taking a can in each arm. "Your naming the baby? What's it going to be?" Secretly, Peeta hoped she wouldn't name it after Marvel. Hearing that name everyday, even though it came from someone entirely different, would just bring a fresh wave of hurt over him every morning. He quickly dismissed the thought. Madge wouldn't do that. She'd get the same feelings of him every morning. He wondered if she'd name it after her father, Morris, but he was unsure if that would hurt her too. He didn't ask if she was naming it either of those options, not wanting to bring up anything more painful for Madge.

"It's a secret. No one knows yet, even though Glimmer's been trying to guess it since we've started. She even tried the name Diamond." Madge chuckled, Peeta laughing with her. He hoped if Glimmer ever had children, the father would be smart enough to steer her off the Diamond route… just for the sake of the poor child! Glimmer seemed weird enough already.

"Diamond? Poor kid! I'll take one guess… it's not being named after a stone or a mineral?" Peeta said to her teasingly with a small smile, looking forward to seeing what she would name it.

"Definitely not!" Madge laughed as she turned back to the kitchen. "I'll see you later… I hope you like the pie and the name choice." she put the cans down next to Glimmer, who was staring at herself in a compact mirror as she fixed her curls.

"I'm sure I will, Madge. I'm looking forward to trying the pie." Peeta answered, walking past the café, the hairdresser next door, disappearing into his room in the pharmacy.

Rolling out the pastry, drowning out Glimmer ranting about Cato cheating on her for the third time in a row, Madge was feeling as if she was being eaten alive. Before she and Rue went to start a new life together in the country, she wanted her son to have a name she would've liked him to be known by. She didn't want to miss the first steeps, the first word, first tooth, all of his little firsts in this scary world, but there was no way they could bring him with them. It would slow them down, and they'd be even more at risk. Peeta would take good care of his menu, watch him grow.

She tried to ignore the tears threatening to spill from her blue eyes.

That night as the group crowded around the table, they all had one reason or another to be in a decent enough mood. The Tracker-Jackers had not attacked yet, unless they were going to come in the night, they had a warm, delicious meal they never thought they'd see again, and for Finch, a water filtration system that was just waiting for the rain so she could test it. With her filtration system, they wouldn't have to worry about what they had been adding to their seemingly endless list of problems, the tank becoming empty. Since the last time she had checked, this time with Thresh, who she knew hopefully wouldn't try and drown her and make it look like an accident, it was becoming dangerously low. Sitting down at the end of the table, looking down at her slice of pie, Madge smiled, though it was quite an effort to make it look convincing.

"So Madge, what's his name going to be?" Katniss asked with a smile, happier than normal just because of what was in front of her. Even before the Virus, chances of a fresh, warm pie were pretty rare. Her mother worked long, long hours, very tired when she got home from the hospital, and it ended up with Katniss basically raising Prim herself. She wasn't the cook of the family, so she improvised at home a lot of the time. Vegetable pie was not a dish she would be good at even attempting.

"His name is going to be…" Madge looked down at her son in his basket, gently taking his tiny hand in hers. "His name is going to be Marshall." she beamed proudly. She had always liked the name, and it sort of reminded her of Marvel, but not enough for it to trigger awful memories. It seemed like the perfect name for him. "Now… let's start eating, shall we?"

Everyone ate well that night. The pie somehow managed to distract them from what seemed to be lurking around the corner.

xxxx

By eleven thirty at night, all were asleep, with the exception of Rue and Madge. Sitting on her bed in the Sweet Shop, Rue brushed a strand of black hair out of her face as she packed a few things in her small backpack. Not enough to weight her down, just things that she needed to bring with her. Her homemade slingshot, a few changes of clothes, the picture of her family, and a few things to launch from the slingshot if she needed to use it. She only hurt if it was essential.

Creeping out of the Sweet Shop for what would most likely be the last time, she entered the shop next door, Kitchenware, where Madge was writing a note under candlelight on her dresser. Sitting on the chair beside little Marshall's basket, Rue looked down at the sleeping baby, wondering what would become of him. Madge was still very hesitant to leave him behind, and when she helped her with the washing up after what had felt like a feast, she said to the older girl that she'd go alone if she wanted to stay with the baby, or she could try and bring him with them. Though she hesitated, Madge agreed to leave with her, without Marshall.

Putting the note by the side of the sleeping baby, Madge gave Rue a solemn nod, picking up her own bag, quietly climbing the stairs down to the sewers, hoping they won't make any noise that could give them away. As Madge opened the sewer door, it creaked, making the two wince, but nothing became of it. Cato, who was meant to be on guard duty unknown to the two, had luckily not shown up. Stepping over the cables of the alarm, Madge pulled the manhole cover off, climbing up into the wooded entrance as the the chirping of crickets, the only sound on this bight filled her ears. Joining her, Rue slid the cover back over the entrance, as Madge pulled her map out, studying it in the moonlight. Pointing east, Madge began to take the steps towards a new life. Some were filled with hope, others regret, some sorrow, others relief, and others nothing. She wondered if Rue was conflicted, but she doubted it.

She just hoped this new life would bring something better.

xxxx


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: 40 reviews... I never thought I'd ever see this. Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter! For some reason, I'm really proud of it. Next chapter, I'm finally introducing Finnick. I hope you look forward to the next one :P**

Chapter Sixteen

The next morning, the group were awoken by something very familiar – Marshall's screaming, which no one wanted with the attack coming up, drawing attention to them. As the group got settled for breakfast, Cato Glimmer and Finch tried their hardest to ignore it, complaining every now and then as they ate, until Prim finally went to go and see what was wrong with him. Where was Madge? Her baby was screaming and she was just ignoring it. Entering Kitchenware, Prim noticed Madge was nowhere to be seen… and there was a note next to Marshall in his basket. Picking the baby up in one hand, the note in the other, she walked into the café, trying to calm him down, going to give it to Katniss, who was currently scrubbing the dishes, to read.

"Can you shut the brat up before you get us all killed?" Cato spat as Prim entered the café again. Coming out of the kitchen, wincing at the screaming from Marshall, Prim silently handed the note to her older sister, desperately trying to calm him down as each cry pierced her ears while she attempted to figure out his problem. Perhaps he was hungry? Wanting to distract herself from the note her sister was reading intently, Prim awkwardly juggled Marshall, his bottle, and the formula in her arms, whishing the others could've tried to help her even a little. The formula was running out, and it seemed like Madge would be the only one to be able to feed her. Even if they found any while scavenging, it wouldn't last forever, like the food. Rocking Marshall, she tuned back into the conversation in the café at the words of her sister.

"_Dear Marshall, Peeta and the rest of you, _

_I have decided to leave the mall with Rue. We cannot stay here anymore, and we are moving into the country as quickly as we can. The city and the mall holds too many memories we'd rather forget, and I've never been too good at goodbyes face to face. Marshall, my son, I hope you will be looked after well by your uncle, who can parent you better than I ever could. I will always love you, my son, but I am not cut out to be a proper mother. Peeta, I hope you will be able to enjoy watching Marshall grow. He is lucky to have such an uncle like yourself to look out for him. Watch his firsts, care for him, just for Marvel and I. This isn't any of your faults. It's all mine. Goodbye._

_Thank you for the food and care. Both of us will never be able to repay you, and you will all be in our thoughts._

_Love Madge."_ Katniss finishes reading it, slapping it down on the table as Peeta walks in, looking down at the letter and reading it in disbelief. His face changes every second – to hurt, to anger, to shock, to too many more to count, leaving him extremely conflicted, and everyone else silent. Putting the letter down, he tries to think. Why? Why would Madge leave? Why would she leave without her baby?

"I just knew it." Cato said, breaking the silence with his sentence, accompanied by a laugh. Almost all of the eyes of the group turn to him, with the exception of Finch, who doesn't care about the drama – desperate to get back to her workshop, playing the waiting game for the rain so she could test out her filtration system and draw out the plans for a wind turbine. "You should've all seen it coming, her dumping Marvel's hellspawn on us. At least there's two less mouths to feed."

"Shut up." Peeta hissed, now furious more than anything. After all he had done, he still decided he could say this sort off stuff? It didn't help no one defended her, just because of Marshall's father. Marvel, his kid brother, who always made him laugh before their parents died and the world went to hell, was never the vicious, cruel tyrant the people of the city made him to be. The Virus started something inside him… something like a spark, and the Tracker-Jackers just ignited it, making him even crazier than he had turned in such little time. He had killed, but Peeta would never be able to fully look past who he was before everything destroyed him. "Don't you think you've done enough already? You should've been the one to go." Sighing, Katniss sat down and crossed her arms.

"They're gone… and I don't think they'll ever come back." Katniss looked down sadly at the table. Even though Madge wasn't dead…. Marshall was basically an orphan now. She would miss Madge and Rue. Madge seemed really nice and an opportunity for Katniss to somehow make a new friend in this new world, and Rue reminded her a lot of Prim, with her sweet nature and some of her mannerisms. Looking for them, though would be pointless. They both left by choice…

The words sunk in around the café, seemingly bouncing off the walls. _Ever come back… ever…. ever… ever… _

It was like a taunt.

xxxx

Looking down at the fire crackling by their sides, Madge and Rue smiled. The city was almost behind them, having walked almost all through the night, barely stopping at all. Taking a bite of a duck egg Rue had found when they stopped to eat, she tried to focus on the new surroundings around her instead of what was truly on her mind. Marshall. Little Marshall, who she had abandoned. Words had plagued her mind all through the night as the walked, unable to be banished by other thoughts. Hopeless… abandonment… orphan… unimpressed…. shame… and most of all, selfish. Selfish. The word felt weird when she thought of it, like someone was shrieking it in her ear. It felt like a joke, a punch to the stomach. Noticing how quiet she was Rue looked up from her egg, trying to think of something to say to take her mind off her son, though his name and face would never truly leave her mind.

"Do you like them?" Rue asked as Madge picked up the city map in her free hand. Madge nodded, swallowing another bite of her egg as she studied it. They'd be well into the country soon, and Rue had decided that the mountains would be a safer place to settle. Madge had agreed, going with her idea almost solely because it would be well away from the city. Suddenly, the blonde crumpled the map into her hand. It was from the old world. It was up to them to make a new path. As she tossed it in the fire, Rue looked up from her final bite of egg, golden eyes slightly widening. Noticing her confusion, Madge looked up from the fire.

"It's from the old world, isn't it? It's up to us to make our way now." Madge tried to think of burning the map as a symbol of the new life they would had, managing to brighten her up slightly. Finishing her egg as well, the two put out the fire, getting up with their packs.

"That's the spirit!" Rue answered with a smile, whistling as the two continued their journey. The music, for Madge ended up to be extremely comforting. Though still quite tired, the two pushed on until they reached what looked like the camp of another tribe, smell of smoke and delicious food in the air, sounds of animals and tribe members, and after sneaking behind a bush to observe them for a while, a middle-sized tribe which seemed to consist of a bunch of farmers. Observing for a few minutes, Madge watched as her eyes locked with a little girl, who was playing with a dirt-covered ball. Throwing it down, it bouncing down the rocky ground until it landed at Rue's feet by the bushes, she ran off, screaming a name.

"GLOSS!" she screeched, running up to the centre of the tribe, a few people stopping to look at her. Watching in surprise as Madge got up, putting her bag back on her shoulders, beginning to walk towards the tribe, Rue debated whether following her. She could run or hide in one of the surrounding trees, being quite quick, but she didn't want to abandon Madge.

"What are you doing?" Rue whispered. Turning to her quickly, blonde hair blowing in the breeze, Madge sighed.

"It's better off going in than being caught. Maybe they might go easier on us, if we do that.. and they look safe enough. I don't want to continue running away for the rest of my life." Madge whispered back slowly, though she didn't completely trust herself. Hesitant, knowing this was an awful idea, Rue followed her, the two walking into camp as members of the group stepped past them. Soon, the realised why – they were greeted with the sight of the girl stand beside a two blondes, both with green eyes, looking as if they were brother and sister. The two were well-built, and it was obviously they wouldn't get away quickly if they attacked. The two were greeted by surprise… the group were actually smiling at them. But what for? Tribes didn't take trespassers so easily normally… or were things more settled out here?

"Hello, strangers." The girl held out a hand for Madge to shake, taking her by surprise. Shaking it, Madge carefully watched their movements. The tribe seemed relaxed, wearing soft colours, as if they meant no harm, the camp seemed quite small and homely, just a little place for some travellers. The boy spoke up next.

"We don't have much, but what we have, we are welcome to share." The boy said to the two. "I'm Gloss, and this is my sister, Cashmere. We are the Nomads."

xxxx

The Nomads seemed friendly… really friendly, almost _too_ friendly, but after seeing the food, it was like Madge didn't even care. Sitting down by a crate on a pillow with Cashmere, she felt like she was going to cry when she saw the food. Strawberries? Apples? Bread, which once inspecting it still war, chopped tomatoes… and honey?!

"Do you like it?" Cashmere asked, holding out a piece of bread smeared with honey. Taking a slice, Madge immediately popped it in her mouth. The duck eggs hadn't filled them up completely… and this was a right feast! Rue took a strawberry, the juice as she bit into it dancing on her tongue…. strawberries. It was too long since she had had one. Much, much too long.

"Mmm…" Madge grinned, savouring every bite, taking a strawberry afterwards, as Gloss sat next to Cashmere, taking an apple, biting into it. This is what the city was missing? Fresh food, lovely food, a feeling of unity, something the city could never even think about. More than ever, the two were glad they'd left, though Madge still had thoughts, pained thoughts of Marshall.

"Where do you get all of this stuff?" Rue took a slice of chopped tomato, eager to know of the ways of the country. Putting down the half-eaten apple, Gloss looked over at them.

"We trade with the farms in the mountains, up in the east." Gloss answered.

"Farmers?" Madge asked. The last part was desperate, a shred of hope she was clinging to. "Have any adults survived up there?" Cashmere solemnly shook her head.

"No. Just like everywhere else…" Cashmere sighed, holding out the honey-covered bread. "Have some more, there's plenty for everyone!"

"No… I mean, it's kind, but we can't repay you." Madge looked down at the plate, mouth still watering.

"We have a saying here. Give what you have, and you'll always get it back." Cashmere answered, getting up with Gloss. "Come on, eat up! There's plenty to share…" Madge took a square, eagerly eating it.

Moving to the back of the camp, Cashmere and Gloss smirked at eachother, glances occasionally going back to the travellers they had so 'generously' taken in. It was perfect. Just perfect… they just needed a little more feeding.

"Brilliant." Gloss smirked at his sister. "Absolutely brilliant. Make sure to keep an eye on them though, we can't have them getting away. The Tracker-Jackers are expecting a new shipment of slaves."

"Of course, Gloss, of course. The Tracker-Jackers will get what they need…"Cashmere answered, green eyes going back to their find…

xxxx

"What's this?" Thresh asked, looking down at a pile of newspapers, making Finch jump, leaving a grotesque, jagged pencil line of her sketch of the turbine. Turning around, Finch began to shout curses.

"You! Of course! Why are _so so_ drawn to this bloody place?! It's not your workshop! Get out!" Finch hissed , throwing a wretch at Thresh, annoyed. Sure, they had been working together, but now, she wanted to be alone. The newspapers were her own little investigation… which would probably lead nowhere, but she was still trying when she got to sign. Dodging the wrench, Thresh flicked through the pile. All of them had Virus headlines on them. Strange.

"It's basically a battleground out there. I thought you might need some help with the filtration system." Thresh answered, annoyance obvious in his tone. "What's with all the Virus papers?" Crossing her arms, Finch hopped off her stool.

"_It's none of your business. Now, get out!"_ Finch shouted, picking up a hammer. Thresh quickly left, just in time to watch Katniss attempt to pull Cato away from Peeta. _Peace._ They'd never get it. The word was so trivial now.

Looking over at the Virus papers, as soon as Thresh had gone, she sighed, looking down at the highlighted words. It was a stupid investigation… trying to find out what happened with the Virus was simply ridiculous. Was it something from space? A nation's huge screw up? Something that rose from somewhere in the environment? All her life, Finch had been thirsty for knowledge. Now, was no exception. She wanted to find out what had caused the even, even if it ended up killing her. There had to be some clues… the adults wouldn't have had time to get rid of everything! Ridiculous investigation or not, she had to at least try and look for _something…_

xxxx


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: Thank you for 5,000 views! I hope you enjoy, and please review. Also, to Ijustwritehungergames, this will most likely end up Everlark.**

Chapter Seventeen

Dinner for the group back at the mall, and dinner for the Nomads differed greatly. At the mall, things were like usual, fighting over unequal portions when they had a rationing system, fighting over what they were going to do with Marshall, fighting over the supposed upcoming Tracker-Jacker attack, and to put it simply – a lot of fighting. With the Nomads, things were a lot more peaceful. Crowded around a large fire, plates were passed around full of fresh food, everyone getting enough for themselves – with a little left over from what had been put out for seconds! Seconds! That was a word that was deemed laughable, non-existent, but sometimes depressing. Enough. In this world, there was mainly two options – little, or enough. No fights occurred. This place seemed safer and safer to Madge as every peaceful hour passed by. Taking a bite of some meat, savouring the juice, she looked over at Rue. Had the two really found a safe place to stay? The Nomads had even told them that they had agreements with the Tracker-Jackers – they left them alone, because they gave things to them that they couldn't get elsewhere. Probably the fresh food, was what Madge was thinking. Suddenly, she was snapped to attention by Gloss's voice. Turning around, she noticed someone, apparently new had joined them, judging by the bag on his back, a fishing net draped over it, kept in place by some wire.

"No need to hide, stranger. There's plenty for all of us." Gloss addressed the guy, who stepped out of the place he had been hiding, behind a tent. It reminded Madge of what had happened to them earlier. The Nomads seemed very generous… Arms crossed, the other man quickly answered him.

"I wanted to observe for awhile, make sure it was safe." The man answered. "I was lured here by the food." he added, almost jokingly, some of the Nomads laughing.

"I can assure you it tastes as good as it smells!" One of the Nomads shouted out from around the fire, a few nodding with the person.

"Why don't you stay for the night? You surely must be tired… where did you come from, and where are you going?" Cashmere joined Gloss by the man, who Madge and Rue couldn't see properly in the darkness.

"I went to the city for awhile…. but there's nothing there, so I was heading to the coast." The man seemed reluctant at first to answer, looking down at the rocky ground.

"You surely must be tired… how about you stay with us for the night?" Cashmere smiled, but the man's reluctance returned. After a minute or two, he nodded. "We're actually heading down to the coast in a few days. There's going to be a Tribal Gathering, the leaders are going to sort out their differences, talk, and stuff. It'll be fun."

"I guess staying one night wouldn't hurt…" The man answered, raising an eyebrow. "Tribal Gathering? Sounds… interesting." His tone seemed to indicate he had just settled on the word 'interesting,' but no one seemed to care. "Who are you both?"

"I'm Cashmere, and this is my brother, Gloss. We lead the Nomads together." Cashmere nodded as the traveller stepped closer to the group of Nomads. Gloss held out a hand for him to shake.

"I'm Finnick. It's a pleasure to meet you both." Finnick shook Gloss' hand, looking down at the tribe again.

"Let's get you some food, shall we?" Cashmere smiled, going up to the line of crates that served as a counter of some sort, giving Finnick a plate as her and her brother went to finish their meal. Filling it quickly, Finnick navigated his way towards the middle of the group, sitting down beside Madge, his sea green eyes gleaming in the glow of the fire. Looking at him for a few minutes, studying his features, Madge went back to processing Cashmere, Gloss and Finnick's conversation. Tribal Gathering? The leaders coming together to go through their differences? Were the Tracker-Jackers and the other gangs and tribes of the city actually prepared to do that? Rue was sceptical, but Madge was interested, wondering if they'd learn more in the next few days.

Finishing off her food quickly, she went off to bed into the tent that had been assigned for her and Rue, sleeping somewhat peacefully, mind sometimes going to the Tribal Gathering… or Marshall.

xxxx

"You look nice." Cato smirked as he stood in the door of Glimmer's room in the Boutique, the blonde girl quickly turning around, and giving him a scowl. Was she really still mad at him? She had barely talked to him since finding him in the cage instead of Clove. Beginning to brush her hair as if he was no longer there, he stepped into the room. "Glimmer?" the room stayed silent.

"What do you what?" Glimmer snapped, putting her pink hair ties down on the dresser as she brushed her hair faster, not looking at him. "If you've come to apologise, just hurry up with it, will you?" Sighing, hoping she'd forgotten about that bit, he leaned against the wall, which was painted a crimson. Apologies. That wasn't one of his strong points.

"Fine. I…I…" Cato began, unable to continue. Turning around impatiently, Glimmer crossed her arms, slamming her hair brush down so hard she made herself jump by accident.

"Come on! Just say it. Normally we can't get you to shut up." Glimmer spat, still angry at him.

"Oh, fine! I'msorryforthecageincidentanditwon'thappenagain." Cato said to her hurriedly, his words jumbling all together. Glimmer, managing to understand him, gave him a small nod, getting up from her stool.

"You promise?" Glimmer said to him, almost mockingly, happy that she managed to get an apology out of him. She never thought she'd see the day where he'd apologise for anything.

"Yes. I promise." Cato said, frustrated. Giving him a satisfied smile, Glimmer kissed his cheek. Maybe, finally, they could get something working out between the two of them, though with all of the problem's with the group, it didn't seem like they'd end up with much time.

"I'm glad. Thank you." Glimmer rubbed her eyes, sighing. "I guess I should get to bed… prepare for tomorrow's next crisis…" she shrugged.

"Night." Returning the kiss, Cato left for his room next door, Snow's Antiques, stopping abruptly in the archway, taking in the scene with a smirk. By his bed stood a little kid, rummaging through his possessions, unaware of Cato's presence by the entrance, continuing to stuff things into his bag. It definitely wasn't one of them, but whoever it was, had a death wish.

Sneaking into his room as the boy zipped up his bag, prepared to move onto the next room in the mall, Cato grabbed him by neck, dragging the screaming kid up the stairs to the café as Glimmer, Finch and Peeta came out of their rooms to see what – or who was screaming. Crabby, tired and fed up at yet another disturbance, Finch crossed her arms, hoping Cato would just kill the kid so they could all go back to their rooms.

"Cato, who is this?" Glimmer asked drowsily, looking down at the boy. Snatching the bag he had with him with his free hand, Cato snatched it from the boy's hand, throwing down on the table, and emptying it for the group to see.

"I found this little thief in my room… and I thought it would only be fitting to have an audience when I snapped his neck." Cato answered to the group, looking down darkly at the boy, before his gaze went to the bag. "Before that, we can't have things going too quickly, let's look at what the idiot has taken from us." Coming up the steps, Katniss watched the scene with Prim, sighing. Coming forward to go through the stuff, Finch and Glimmer began to shout curses at the thief.

"My earrings! I've been looking for these all evening!" Glimmer snatched a pair of purple and pink earrings in the shape of a flower from the pile, while Finch took something from the other wide, a large coil of wire and a pack of batteries. Suddenly, the face of the thief registered in Katniss' mind. She knew this kid… he was her best friend Gale's brother, Rory! Gale and his siblings had vanished after the Virus, and Katniss had often found herself wondering about what had happened to him. Pushing past Glimmer and Finch, the dark-haired girl scowled. She couldn't let Cato kill him. Maybe he knew where Gale was… but it didn't seem likely.

"Cato, put him down!" Katniss shouted, eyes going from the tall blonde to the twelve year old he was holding by the neck. Looking up at Katniss, Rory seemed to manage to relax slightly. He wasn't toast… yet. Cato simply laughed at her, holding Rory tighter.

"Why should I? He's just a thief. I'm doing you all a favour." Cato answered with a smirk. Impatient, Katniss came closer, wrenching Rory from Cato's grasp.

"I know him, you idiot!" Katniss muttered as Rory almost went flying to the floor, only to be caught by Prim. The boy seemed to be in a state of disbelief as the others stepped back, looking at Katniss.

"Katniss? Prim? What are you doing here?" Rory asked, obviously confused about her presence with the group. Cato was certainly someone he didn't picture her hanging around with, especially in these circumstances. Almost reluctant, Katniss answered with a sigh.

"We live here." Katniss replied, wanting to ask him a lot more questions, but by the look of him and the timing, along with the whole group there, it wouldn't seem likely it would happen.

"Living together isn't our exact choice, though." Cato retorted, looking around with the group. If there was anywhere better, he'd leave in an instant…. but though he hated to admit it, the mall was the best option at the moment.

"I think that's only thing of value to come out of your mouth in days." Finch shot out. The mall was her home, and now, more than anything, she wished she didn't give it up. Now, they were fighting over her stuff, her food, starting stupid drama, discovering her stash… and letting whoever just walked out of the gutter join them… and, getting them a guaranteed Tracker-Jacker attack. Brilliant.

"Do you want to go over the balcony next? I think I can arrange that quite easily." Cato told her. Turning away, Finch walked back to her workshop, just wanting to get away before she felt the urge to throw a chair… or a table, an urge that came up a lot in the last week or two.

"Alright, everybody except for Prim and Rory, go back to bed. I'll handle this." Katniss ordered, when no one moved, sighing. "Go! I can take care of this." After a lot of muttering and curses, they went back.

Today had been quite a day… to eventful for her liking, but now, she was beginning to learn to get used to it. Drama, with this group, would always be around.

xxxx

The next morning, as soon as he could Peeta went off to make sure his deal with Clove was definite, though with her and all her games, that word seemed stupid to use. Today, she was going to announce it to the Tracker-Jackers. Whether this would start a city war or not, was unknown. She had promised to not reveal the mall, Cato killing Marvel, or anything that had happened that night except that he actually had died, but again, promise seemed like a stupid word with her. Watching as the Tracker-Jackers assembled in a car yard from behind an old red van, Clove coming up in front with her two highest-ranked just below her beside her, he waited for her to begin to speak.

"Tracker-Jackers. I have called this meeting to talk to you about something that happened to me last night. I had a dream… a dream so real, it was actually a vision. You know who appeared in this vision?" Clove began.

"Marvel, our great leader!" The Tracker-Jackers shouted. How they just knew what to say, how they so blatantly responded and obeyed made Peeta quite uncomfortable… did the Tracker-Jackers brainwash their members, or were they so crazy that they ended up believing Marvel was like a god, or something? He hoped he could get out soon, though going back to the mall didn't seem very pleasant, with Madge having left, everyone basically having no idea what to do with Marshall, and all the arguing. This time, it'd been about Rory, the guy that had snuck into the mall last night, who was apparently someone Katniss knew. Katniss had given him a hot meal and a room in the Grocer's on the bottom floor, next-door to Prim. Cato, Glimmer and Finch all protested and said that she was an idiot, and that he should either be thrown out, or killed, starting a bickering session… again. Were they even going to survive much longer if this kept up?!

"Yes. Marvel said to me was he has gone on a quest. A quest so large that he had to go somewhere far to carry it out. A quest to find the power that will lead to the Tracker-Jacker's victory. Where Marvel has gone… is the afterlife." Clove paused, the Tracker-Jackers giving complete silence, paying tribute to their fallen leader. Pulling Marvel's talisman out of her pocket, showing it to her tribe, she continued speaking. "I awoke to find this, on the bed beside me. This is Marvel's talisman, something that never left him. Marvel is gone, but he and his quest will live on. You know who he wants to rule in his absence?"

"Clove!" They shouted. The girl in front smiling in approval.

"In Marvel's honour, I will become your new leader, your queen, in his command! We will continue his quest and rule this city! Power and chaos, and may Marvel live forever!" Clove had finally done it, achieved the power she wanted. From behind the van, Peeta tried to look happy… he had gotten his group immunity, but at what cost? Exploiting his brother, his brother who had succumbed to the horror of the Virus, as a god? He found himself filled with hate, a hatred of himself for doing this. The Tracker-Jackers began to chant her name as the Tracker-Jackers forwarded into their police car, the others skating behind it, other walking behind them, weapons in hand. Even when they were long gone, the chants rang in his ears.

What had he done?

xxxx


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Sitting at her desk, occasionally eating spoonful's of peaches, Finch searched through a newspaper, hoping to find something about the Virus while she had some time. The government, as expected, were very secretive about the Virus, the only information, from what she had seen so far was about evacuations, safety tips, what was happening with the Virus around the globe before contact ceased, the symptoms, the notification of places being shut down, death tolls, and other things that didn't provide what she was looking for. Suddenly, something in bold under a photograph of a medical team was something that brought up some curiosity in Finch.

"If needing some advice on how to stay safe during this tragic time, medical forms, or a train schedule for the next evacuation period, please make an appointment at the Justice Building and we will try and see to you as soon as possible."

The Justice Building had been made the main government building in the last few months, the other ones being deserted, or strangely under heavy guard. When things started to get really bad, the adults burnt down most of their government buildings, as if there was something in the ash they wanted to take to the grave with them. Luckily, there were still some standing… but what could be inside, and could they even provide and clues? Still, Finch wrote down in her worn notepad: "JUSTICE BUILDING" just as she heard a squeak behind her, asking something about a hairdryer, until she spied the stash. No. Not again. She hated herself immediately. She was an idiot. How could she let this happen again?

"What's all this?" Glimmer shouted, ripping cans out of Finch's stash. "Peaches, creamed rice, pineapple rings, you've had all this while we've been starving to death?!" she became louder and louder with each slightly exaggerated word, and before Finch could even tell her to shut up, another two pairs of boots had joined them. Katniss, who had been drawn into the room by the food names alone, staring at the cupboard, mouth watering, and Cato, who was badly hiding his anger, whether it be directed at Glimmer for finding the stash and ending his free food whenever he wanted it arrangement, or Finch, for letting it be discovered.

"Finch, what is this?" Katniss asked the same question as Glimmer, hands brushing over the silver shelves as Glimmer folded her arms, wondering what would become of the redhead. With all this food, they could be as well off as the Tracker-Jackers in the meal department, if they weren't all killed first, that was. Stepping forward, Cato snatched the key to the stash from the desk, scowling at the fox-faced girl.

"This is my food. I was saving this for emergency purposes only until Blondie here barged in!" Finch snapped back, fed up with the three of them, lack of Virus answers in the paper though it was expected, and herself, most of all for letting this thing happen. How dare they?! This was her food, her home, and they were just those she had so stupidly let in. Shoving Finch out of the way, almost sending the girl into the wall, Glimmer picked up the half eaten peach can, juice off the silver spoon dripping all over the desk, including onto Finch's Virus notes.

"Emergency purposes?" Glimmer scoffed, stirring the peaches with one hand almost mockingly. "Like what? You were hungry? Aren't we all? You've had a right feast over here while we've been living off scraps! I say we kill her." Cato nodded, looking down at the key in his hand, then back at the food, until his eyes finally settled on the not at all worried, but instead furious Finch.

"Kill her? Seems like a good idea." Cato smirked.. "Hang her, throw her over the balcony, I saw the Tracker-Jackers kill someone just like her. Her head came straight-" Another voice joined the mix. Thresh, arms crossed, looking serious as always, standing straight in the doorway.

"Kill her? She hoarded food, but doesn't that seem to be a little too much?" Thresh began, taking a few steps in. "I say we give her a trial, especially because someone in this group got away with murder without almost anyone saying a word." his eyes locked on Cato, who shot him a scowl. Oh yes, he'd definitely be organising the night of their fight that was cancelled by Marvel's visit to them again. He was going to get what he deserved. Putting a can down, Katniss looked over at him with a nod. It seemed much more reasonable. "Then, we get to decide what we'll do. Let her go, kill her, or just send her out to the street."

"What?! This is my home!" Finch said furiously as Cato grabbed her arm, key in her other hand. Eyes going back to the girl, Katniss quickly put them up to the green wall behind her.

"At least, now you're getting more time." Katniss sighed. She just wanted this all to end, but it never would. Because of the Virus, they'd be stuck in this cycle forever. Who would try and build a new society? Would it even work? No one could be, or wanted to be controlled these days, most loving their freedom too much, others stuck in a state of delusion. "Put her in the cage… we… we'll arrange a trial soon." When would be suitable, with the Tracker-Jacker attack, Rory's arrival, and the adaption to having to all look after Marshall because Madge and Rue were gone? As Cato and Glimmer dragged her out, Katniss heard Thresh whisper one thing to Finch.

"I bought you some time. Now, you're alone."

xxxx

Prim sat in the café with Rory, trying to strike up a conversation with her old friend as they ate, which proved hard with Marshall's screaming. It seemed as if the little thing hadn't stopped since Madge had gone, as if he knew his mother was never coming back, and he missed her desperately. Pressing a hand to his forehead, she noticed he still had the same fever he had when she had gotten up in the night to change him. No one else would, desperate for sleep, on guard duty, or just didn't care at all. She hoped he'd be alright. Taking a cloth from the pocket of her yellow dress, she emptied a slight bit of water from her bottle onto it, pressing it on the baby's forehead.

"He has some lungs… reminds me of Posy when she was a baby." Rory said as he finished breakfast, trying to chuckle at the end, but it ended up seemingly pained. Prim looked up at her friend, feeling bad for him greatly. How had it happened? It seemed plausible, but slightly strange. Fleeing into the woods in the dark of night had potential to get lost, but the blonde girl was sure Gale would try his hardest to keep him and his siblings all together… but accidents happened, she guessed. Rory wouldn't run away. That would be suicide. He was lucky he had lasted so long in the city as it was. He was a lot skinnier than Prim had remembered, looking quite gaunt in the café's light. Just another sufferer from the Virus' aftereffects on the children. Last night, watching him eat, was just pitiful. He looked as if he hadn't eaten in years!

"I guess…" Prim tried to smile, but it made her cheeks ache. Rocking Marshall, trying to calm him as she kept her cloth on his small forehead, she sighed. "Poor thing… his mom left the night before your arrival, with another girl. Rue. I think you would've liked her."

"Really?" Rory asked as Prim scraped up the remaining creamed corn on her plate, stacking the dirty dish on top of Rory's gently, it barely making a sound. Rory liked that about her She was so gentle and careful, something to be admired in the harsh world of today. He didn't really want to pry, he just wanted a conversation, so he picked his next words carefully. "How long have you guys been here?" he asked as Prim picked up the baby's bottle, trying to get him to drink something as he finally stopped screaming.

"Finch, the redheaded girl, has been her the longest. This was her home to begin with, she just let us stay. Rue came here with Katniss and I one night, and that guy who picked you up last night, Cato came in with us, along with that girl in the pink nightgown who you took the earrings from, Glimmer… but that's a story for another time. I think Cato thinks he owns the place, but none of us really pay attention to him if we can help it. Peeta, you haven't seen him yet came a few days later with Marshall's mother, and then Thresh showed up with Rue after she went out one day… I think we've actually been here together for about two, or three weeks." Nodding, Rory was about to answer until Katniss and Glimmer came into the café, carrying a cardboard box that looked as if it would crumble any second into the café. From their limited sight, the two twelve year olds thought they could see the tops of cans.

"What's in the box?" Rory asked, wondering where they could get a box full of food so quickly. Looking at it just made him happy, which was depressing. Before the Virus, he barely ate canned foods. His brother, Gale did his best to keep fresh things on the table, planting vegetables in the back gardens, getting meat from only the most trusted places, making sure they could all get by. He missed his brother, along with his younger one, Vick, and his sister, Posy. He doubted he'd ever see them again.

"Finch, that damn pig, has been hoarding all this food!" Glimmer growled, setting the box down on the kitchen counter as Katniss unlocked the food store, the two stacking can after can of food. Tonight, and for the nights ahead, they'd actually be eating well! "She'll be dead in a few days, though. There's no way she can actually stay now. At least, she had to be put out in the streets, let the Tracker-Jackers rip her into tiny, bloody pieces." Prim went pale with her words. Hadn't they seen enough death already? She'd think everyone wouldn't want to kill after everything that had occurred, but that, after thinking it over a little, made her feel stupid. How, how delusional. The word would never be peaceful. It hadn't been when the adults were around either, and why would it start now?

"Oh. At least we'll be eating better now." Prim said softly, her words much more gentler. Though she didn't know her, she didn't want Finch to die. She didn't want anyone else to die anymore. It was a nice dream.

xxxx

The Nomad camp was quiet, as usual. Madge sat cleaning up some fish Finnick had caught, proving himself a great fisherman. He had decided to stay another day, joking saying it was because of the food. Madge couldn't blame him. Things were so much more relaced here, but a part of her actually wanted the mall back, just to see Marshall and Peeta again. Behind her, Rue sat washing the freshly picked produce, knowing what Madge was thinking of exactly.

"Are you alright, Madge?" Rue set a tomato on a large checked cloth as Madge turned from the fish she was holding to the small girl, sighing. "Do you like it here?"

"I do…" Madge's speech was pained as she tried to shrug of the disgusting feeling of the fish in her hand, only adding to her discomfort. "I just miss him… and Marshall so much." she said softly. "I… I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need to go back. I was selfish for leaving him, Marshall. He needs his mother. I need to stay there, just for him." Rue knew this would be coming in the back of her mind, but another idea crept up in her head.

"You could go back and get him, he'd love it here in the outdoors!" Rue cleaned a cabbage intently as Madge let go of the fish, quickly wiping her hands on her own cloth by her side. Madge looked as if she was going to cry.

"He would… but I can't take him away from Peeta. He's lost his family, like the rest of us, and Marvel, I can't leave him with no family left at all, and he won't come with me, I won't be able to convince him, no matter how hard I try." Madge responded, thinking of Peeta, someone she hadn't thought of as much as Marshall. How selfish to leave him too! He had taken her in, helped deliver her baby, and help her with Marshall and Marvel's death while grieving himself. Now as she thought of him more, she missed him too. She loved him like the brother she never had. "I'm going to go back, as soon as everyone else is asleep. Are you going to come with me?" Rue stopped cleaning, brown eyes fixed on her blue ones. Rue loved the change out here, feeling much more at home with the Nomads than at the mall, though she missed Katniss and Prim a little. No drama, fresh, plentiful food, everyone co-operating to get things done…

"I want to stay here… I feel more at home … much more at home than I've felt since the Virus." Rue told her, eyes swerving around at the members of the Nomads in the distance, Gloss hammering up tents with Cashmere, Finnick laughing with a girl from the tribe as they brought up more fish, things were much more relaxed here. She knew Madge missed her son and Peeta, but would she be alright getting back to the mall?

"You'll be safe here, won't you?" Madge asked, slightly uncertain. Though the Nomads seemed kind and generous… something seemed a little too nice about them, but Madge tried to shrug it off as feelings coming from missing Marshall. Rue nodded, reassuring her again and again as the two cleaned silently. At dinner, the two barely talked, Madge going over to sit with the other newcomer, Finnick, unable to stomach the quiet. He seemed good enough, though their conversation didn't last long. When they went to bed, saying a quick goodbye, Rue reassuring her, Madge set off into the night, hoping the journey ahead would be safe. Safe. What a word. It didn't even seem like a word anymore.

Another question crept into her mind – would the group take her back?

xxxx


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

It was eleven, and Katniss couldn't sleep. For the last few nights, she'd managed to get a few hours, but tonight she had just laid awake, unable to shut her eyes for more than five minutes. Too many questions plagued her mind, more than the usual that floated in her mind every morning and night. Were the Tracker-Jackers going to come? Where was Gale? Were Rue and Madge dead, or somewhere in the country starting afresh? When would they get time to trial Finch? And the one that came every night – would they survive much longer? To her, it seemed going this 'well,' if they could call it well, was a pure stroke of luck… not that luck seemed like the right word to use.

Frustrated, Katniss threw the grey and white striped covers off herself, putting her boots on, stepping into the darkness of the mall as she headed towards the café. It would be quiet now that it was late, not full of the fights and dramas the day brought. Pulling a chair out as quietly as she could, her grey eyes locked on a dark figure in the kitchen. Stepping towards the kitchen, three main choices came to her mind. Was it a Tracker-Jacker… but why would they be seemingly making themselves something in the kitchen? Wasn't fighting more of their approach, and not eating in their kitchen and then killing them? That was weird. Very weird. For a few seconds, she thought Madge and Rue might be back, but she quickly dismissed the thought. They would be well into the country now, maybe even found shelter somewhere. They weren't going back. She didn't even have time to think through her third option when the figure turned around. Peeta. It was just Peeta.

"Peeta? What are you doing up?" Katniss asked, wanting to take them back for being so stupid after saying then. What are you doing up? She couldn't be the only one feeling like this… he had lost his brother not even a week ago, Madge had run off, and he was now the one that had the primary job of taking care of Marshall. Of course he probably wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Couldn't sleep, so I decided I'd come here." Peeta answered, just what she had expected. Her eyes darted down to the mug he was stirring in his hands. Noticing her expression, he said something else quickly as he took a seat at one of the tables. For some reason, the café looked bigger in the dark. "Hot chocolate… just thought it might be something calming." Katniss nodded. Hot chocolate. She'd heard it was good, but she'd never tried it. It must've been something from Finch's stash. Taking a seat across from him, she drummed her fingers on the table, wondering whether to sit in silence or try and talk.

"Is it good?" Katniss asked, looking down at the steaming mug. She didn't actually care, but the silence was becoming strange, though a part of her liked it. You never got silence for long now. Always a siren, a scream, a screaming child, all just normal parts of a day in their crashed world. Peeta nodded.

"Reminds me of better times… would you like a cup?" Peeta answered as he set his mug down on the table quietly. Katniss nodded. Why not? At home, they could only afford tea, which was quite nice and calming, but no tea bags or leaves had shown up in Finch's stash. She didn't seem like a tea person, anyway. Hot chocolate, tea. Hot drinks all the same. She hoped it could provide the same feelings of better times though it was highly doubted, or at least prove even a little bit calming.

As Peeta went off to prepare her drink, her eyes swerved around the parts of the mall she could see from the café. It was hard to believe the mall was once 'the' place to hand out. Graffiti littered almost every wall, though she was attempting to clean it up, piled of debris could be found all over the place, all the work of the survivors, the ones who would have to live in this new world. The thought still seemed surreal, but every morning, they all woke up here, for a second wishing they were back at home.. before realising this was their home for the time being. Their old homes were non-existent now. Most dwellings before the Virus had been targeted first when the adults were dead. Those who went back to inspect the damage were fools.

"Here you are." Peeta slid over a steaming mug of hot chocolate to the brunette, who had barely noticed his return until he had spoke. Too many hours were now spent deep in thought about what was next, way too many. Moments like this, sitting down and drinking hot chocolate were rare to come by. Katniss liked it, but it also sent a twinge of uneasiness through her. Picking up the mug, she took a sip, letting the sweet brown liquid coat her throat. For a few seconds, it was painfully sweet, but she soon got used to it, deciding she liked the hot chocolate. Peeta was right. It was calming. If only things could be this quiet all the time…

"Thank you." Katniss attempted to smile, but it came out strained. It didn't seem right to smile anymore. "It's quite nice. Calming too." she continued, taking another long sip.

"It's nice after the days like this, especially." Peeta looked down at the black table, tapping his fingers on the mug. The girl across from him nodded, wondering what to say back. Words weren't always her strongest point. The blonde boy sighed. "I don't why they left, especially Madge. I know it's been rough, rough for all of us… but why would she leave Marshall? I thought she'd take him with her." A part of him was glad that she had left Marshall with him at the mall, as his nephew was his only blood family he had left, but ever now and then he'd hate himself for thinking like that. Another part of him resented her for leaving the baby behind; not because he didn't want to have to take care of it, but because Marshall would be just like them, parentless. He'd never know his father, him only ever holding Marshall once before Cato sent him to his painful death, and he wouldn't remember Madge at all. He'd try his best to be a good uncle. He wanted to take care of him the best of he could in this new world.

"I can't help but think the same thing… I know some awful things have happened to Madge here, but why would Rue go? I can't understand that at all…" Katniss put down her mug, frowning as she tried to think. No answers came to mind. No answers. That was too common, much, much too common nowadays.

Occasionally sharing gazes and nods, the two didn't say another word to eachother as they sipped their drinks in the darkness. They couldn't think of anything more to say.

xxxx

At the Nomad camp, the group were assembled for breakfast, where information was being passed around about the upcoming Tribal Gathering, which the Nomads would be packing up for and beginning their journey to in three days. Apparently Clove was ready to talk to the leaders of the gangs and tribes and sort something out, trading goods and attempting to make peace. Peace. Finnick tried his hardest not to scoff. Clove, leader of the notorious Tracker-Jackers, attempting to make peace?! To him, it sounded like Clove's opportunity to start a bloodbath, ready to take out her enemies and make the rest of the tribes surrender with force… or just kill everyone who attended if they didn't comply. Easy way to get power, if they were the only ones left in the city… not that Finnick suspected many tribes would turn up, if they were smart. The Nomads were heading down to check it out, trading with the Tracker-Jackers like the normally did – because they apparently had things the gang couldn't get anywhere else, whatever that was, remained unknown. Finnick had decided he'd stay two more days and leave the night before they began travelling, just so he could keep eating that food for a little longer. Stuff that fresh was not to be passed by quickly.

Late to breakfast, something that seemed odd, Rue took a plate and sat down next to Finnick, the only free spot she could find. She was unbelievably tired, kept up all night by thoughts of Madge. She hoped she'd have a safe trip back, though safe was a strange word.

"Rue? You look down… are you alright? Cashmere asked, looking up from her half-eaten strawberry, sounding surprisingly concerned for only knowing her a few days. Rue sighed, taking a bite of her bread before answering.

"It's Madge. She left last night…" Rue said as she looked down at her plate, eyes only darting up as Gloss and Cashmere bolted up, looking around the camp. Strange… strange. Gloss seemed suddenly explosive.

"What?! You said night… was it around midnight, or later?" Gloss asked, voice not it's usual kind tone, his face hardening, making Rue feel uneasy. Putting a hand on her brother's shoulder, trying to calm him down, Cashmere put on a concerned expression.

"What? Why? She left early last night… she's probably close to the city border now…" Rue answered softly, still puzzled by Gloss' outburst. It seemed so unlike him, but then again, she had only known him and Cashmere for about two or three days.

"We're just worried about her safety… aren't we, Gloss?" Cashmere said to her brother, voice calm. "I guess it's done… we'll have to just hope she'll be alright." Cashmere turned to her tribe. "Now, who is going to help up with clearing up breakfast?"

This was weird…. extremely weird. How Cashmere had just brushed off Gloss' explosion, Gloss exploding in the first place… something felt really odd, and out of place. As soon as she finished breakfast, she went off to her tent to pack up her things. I she got away early, maybe she could try and find Madge somewhere, if she hadn't been caught on her way back to the Mall. Bag on her shoulders, she decided to wait until lunch to say goodbye to Cashmere and Gloss. Though her doubts about then had returned, she wanted to give them a thank you before she went. It just seemed like the right thing to do...

Lunch was late that day, because the Nomads were already beginning to pack for their journey down to the coast. Wanting to get away at the time she had planned, Rue approached Cashmere and Gloss slightly warily as they began to set out lunch with some other members of their tribe. She'd miss the feeling of sleeping under the stars… but not going with Madge seemed like a mistake, especially with her doubts about the Nomads returning to her.

"Cashmere? Gloss?" Rue asked, voice small as usual as she tightened the straps of her bag a little more. The siblings turned around, smiles now looking strained. Was it her own paranoia, or had Rue noticed something she hadn't before? "I… I've loved staying here with you guys, and I'll never be able to repay you for the food and shelter… but I've decided to go and look for Madge." Rue watched as the smiles disappeared, Nomad members stepping closer to her, as if they were making a barrier between her and the exit of the camp. Now, Rue only had one thought on her mind: run! But, she was stuck there, in the middle of the group. Was this a way of saying goodbye? It didn't look like it.

"Bad decision." Cashmere scowled, tone icy, unlike her usual cheerful one. Rue backed away, only to feel a member of the tribe grab her shoulders, locking her in place. There was no chance of being able to run away now. "You see, you gave yourself to our tribe… we own you…"

"What? I-" Rue's eyes swerved around the group, who seemed much bigger, taller, and menacing than before. That was when it hit her, the niceness that had been displayed was just an act, and she was one of the idiots that had fallen for it! Madge was lucky… extremely lucky.

"Have you ever wondered what we trade with the Tracker-Jackers? Slaves, and you're now one of them." Gloss said, green eyes which had once been full of kindness now dark, mouth twisted into a scowl. "Lock her up." There was no point struggling. She'd never get away.

"I hope you enjoy the Tribal Gathering, Rue." Cashmere smirked as the small girl was dragged into a tent, chained to a wooden post, helpless. Here was where she would be stuck until they got moving…. to her awful fate as a slave to the Tracker-Jackers! No. No. This couldn't be happening. How had she fallen for this act?!

xxxx

Crowded around the breakfast table, most chattering about what they would do with Finch, the group suddenly feel silent at the sound of footsteps coming from the front entrance. They really, really needed to sort something out as a trap for there! The grille wouldn't be enough, and wouldn't provide and protection if they couldn't get to it in time. Walking slowly into the mall, past the Mockingjay statue and up the stairs to the café, was Madge.

"Well, look what the wind's blown in…" Glimmer scowled, putting down her spoon as she stared at the girl, who looked extremely worn down. Her reception was mixed. Peeta was surprised, Glimmer looked annoyed, as well as Cato, Thresh had no idea what to think, Prim didn't either, Rory had no idea what was going on as he had never met her, and Katniss was looking around for Rue behind her, annoyance filling her as she realised she wasn't anywhere to be found.

"I didn't think we'd be seeing you again." Katniss said with a sigh, wondering where Rue was as Madge climbed the stairs, joining them all in the café.

"I don't think some of you exactly wanted to see me either…" Madge stared down at the floor. She knew her reception would most likely be frost from most of then. Would they take her back? The question had been eating at her all night. Would they let her see Marshall again? By the fact she had just left him, she had no doubt the group considered her an awful mother. Looking up, she could see her son next to Peeta in his basket, asleep.

"You said it!" Cato burst out, smirking. "Dumping the brat on us… hopefully you've only come back to get him and head straight back out there again. Oh, wait… you will. None of us want you back here. You, Lover Boy and the brat were out from day one, and it's time we finally stuck to that."

"Shut up!" Peeta hissed, furious with him. "Let her explain. I'm sure that would be fair… oh, wait… you wouldn't know about that, would you?" Sensing an argument coming on, Katniss bit back the urge to just leave and let them fight it out. Luckily, Thresh broke the tension with the question that was on her mind.

"Where's Rue?" Thresh asked, eyes studying the stairs, the grille, the Mockingjay fountain, only for them to come back to the blonde girl when he couldn't find her.

"She's with a bunch of Nomads we met, she's safe. It's what she wanted. Sleeping under the stars, a new life in the country, growing her own food…" Madge answered, attempting to sound calm.

"Nomads? It sounds to me you left her out somewhere with a bunch of strangers!" Katniss said, suddenly quite angry. Honestly, now that she thought of it, she'd have rather had Rue turn up rather then Madge.

"Why should we let you back, anyway? You waltzed off, left your stupid baby with us, and stumbled back in when you ran out of food!" Glimmer hissed, arms crossed as her green eyes locked on Madge's blue ones.

"There was lots to eat. I decided to come back myself… for the baby. I belong with Marshall." Madge was suddenly on the verge of tears as she looked down at her sleeping son again. She didn't belong in the Mall fully, in her opinion, but she had to stay, to give her baby a roof over it's head.

"You screwed it up when you decided to split, and now none of us want you here even more. Take the brat, and enjoy your life together on the streets." Cato said to her as Madge sighed. She never expected anything less of him.

"How… how about we let her explain, like Peeta said?" Prim spoke up softly. Cato turned to her, scowling, making the girl's eyes go straight down to her half-eaten breakfast.

"Who asked you?" Cato said to her, making Katniss clench her fists. Prim and Peeta did have a point… but leaving Rue behind wasn't something she was going to get over quickly.

"She lives here too!" Katniss shouted at him before she could stop herself. "Go on, Madge. Explain." she tried to keep the rest of her words calm, but it proved difficult.

"Some of us are interested in why you've cone back." Peeta, who was currently furious with Cato more than ever, managed to put on a calm tone for her, noticing how close she was to breaking down. It hurt to see her like that.

"I…" Madge began, trying to stop the shakiness in her voice. Gripping the chair in front of her tightly, she began again. "I've been running away for too long.. From the Tracker-Jackers, from Marvel, you all… and even my own baby. I don't want to run anymore. I just want to look after my baby… I want it more than anything."

"Oh yeah? How long will that last? Until you dump your kid on us again!" Glimmer shouted. Gripping the chair to try and keep calm, Peeta sighed, eventually calming down enough to pick up his nephew, who Madge was looking at with tears in her eyes, threatening to spill over at any given moment.

"I want to stay and prove my worth. I just want my baby back…. please…." Madge was practically begging. The group feel silent, looks being thrown around for minutes. "You mean… you won't give him back to me?" Getting up from his seat, no one objecting, Peeta gently passed Marshall to Madge.

Looking at him again, Madge broke down in tears.

xxxx


	21. Chapter Twenty

**A/N: Thank your for 48 reviews! Juliet's Shadow, your review made my day! Annie and Johanna may come up soon... I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review! **

Chapter Twenty

At the Nomad camp, things weren't going well for Rue and Finnick. After locking Rue up, the tribe had retreated back to their peaceful personalities and Gloss had joined Finnick down at the river to fish. At lunch, he overheard a conversation about Rue's 'troublemaking,' and had stumbled by her tent on a walk around camp. Finding him soon enough, Finnick caught red-handed inside the tent, was chained up on the other side of the post by Cashmere, another slave to add to the bunch, ready to trade with the Tracker-Jackers. The both of them were trying to figure out a way to escape, but everything they had come up with hadn't ended up plausible. With the Tribal Gathering only a few days away, they wanted to come up with something soon. Sun streaming through the tent, signalling a new morning, Rue looked over at her companion.

"Finnick?" Rue looked down at the older boy, who had somehow managed to lean back against a pillow, as far as he could with his chains, still asleep. How he could sleep, Rue had no idea. She couldn't sleep a wink, though she was drowsy. There was too much on her mind, Madge, escaping, the Gathering, her stupid mistake of not leaving with Madge. Receiving no answer, she sighed, looking up at the sound of boots and the tent opening. Kicking Finnick in the back to wake him up, Cashmere set down two plates of food. Scowling up at her, planning things in his head if he managed to escape, Finnick didn't feel like eating. The sight of Cashmere and tent made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Come on, eat up. The Tracker-Jackers don't want scrawny slaves. I made this specially, too." Cashmere sneered, leaving as quickly as she had come. The two looked at the food, Rue suspecting it might be sprinkled with a ground up sleeping pill or something like that to knock them out everytime they ate until they got to the Gathering. Her stomach was growling, but she couldn't let that happen, even though it was just a suspicion.

"Did you get any ideas while I was sleeping?" Finnick asked her, tone gloomy as he attempted to rub his eyes, only to be stopped by his chains. Instead, he kicked his food away, watching, satisfied as the corn con on his plate rolled down to the tent entrance, covered in earth.

"No…" Rue looked down at the wooden post stuck deep into the earth, sighing. How did she get in this mess again? It was her own stupid fault! She wouldn't get over falling for the Nomads' act anytime soon. She was extremely ashamed of herself for being such a fool. "Did you get anything?" Finnick shook his head with a sigh. After that, it was back to silence. Thirty minutes passed… then forty… then an hour.. then an hour and a half… Rue was getting so used to the silence that she jumped when Finnick spoke again, sea green eyes on the wooden post.

"I think I got something!" Finnick rattled his chains against the pole. The words set something off in her head. Nodding, as if she was telling him to continue, he gave a satisfied smile. "We dig away the dirt underneath the pole, and slip our chains under it. It'll take down the tent, but I'm sure we'll be able to get away… they'll be taken off guard." Whispering his plan to the small girl, Rue decided to go with it. It was the first thing either of them had thought of that may actually work. The two began to dig as fast as they could, occasionally stopping when boots came near and their chains ached too much to keep going, but for the most part they were set on their goal: getting out. Hearing Gloss' muttering outside their tent, the two tried to cover up the hole they'd made with their legs, hoping it would fool him. They had to be getting close! Entering the tent, Gloss picked up the corn and the two plates, scowling.

"What's this? No appetite? This won't do…" Gloss said almost mockingly, almost smashing the two plates as he stacked the plates on top of eachother. Biting his tongue hard to get rid of the urge to say something to Gloss, wanting him to get out as quick as he could, Finnick just settled on a scowl. "Well, I thought you'd want this while you had to chance. The most good slaves get with the Tracker-Jackers is four slices of stale bread and water.."

"And bad slaves?" Finnick muttered, raising an eyebrow, clenching fistfuls of earth is his hands as best as he could with the chains on him. Gloss was close enough for him to attempt to kick him and knock him over, but that would only bring more attention to them, a higher chance of their work being discovered. Gloss gave a deranged chuckle.

"Well, I don't know the full story… but it's rumoured all you get is dog food. How delightful for you. For the worst offenders, they're just left to starve to death…" Gloss smirked, his words bouncing around the prisoners heads. With that, he left. For five minutes, there was silence, until the two got digging again.

"We need to get out. As soon as possible. Tonight at latest." Finnick said quickly, digging as fast as he could, not caring about his bleeding arms anymore. Survival was his priority. Rue nodded, trying to dig faster as well. This was their only hope of escape….

xxxx

At the mall, with Madge back and the level of drams slightly going down, Katniss had organised Finch's trial to take place after breakfast, everyone in the tribe having to attend. Going downstairs to the Service Area where Finch was locked, Cato watched as the redhead paced around, finally stopping when she saw him, greeting him with a sly grin. She had been planning something down here… a perfect blackmail to save her own neck. She just had to make sure it all went to plan.

"Why are you so happy?" Cato said to her firmly as he took the keys to the cage out of his pocket. Amber eyes locked on his ice blue ones, Finch have him a grotesque smirk, before looking away. "You. You're planning something, aren't you?!" he shouted at her. Folding her arms, everything she had planned in the night came pieced back together inside her head. Cato, awhile back had basically forced her into giving him double water… which turned into a water stash soon enough, which she had discovered sneaking around at night. Cato may have been able to cover up his knowledge of her stash, and their little deal, but he couldn't back out of this one.

"Oh… I was just thinking. I'm sure you'd understand, both having secrets and stashes, you know." Finch said in a faked innocent tone as she began to pace again. "Oh… I think I've said too much." Furious, Cato unlocked the cage, grabbing her and slamming her against the walls of the cage. Surprised for a few seconds, Finch covered it up quickly. This would all fall into place soon enough…

"What?! What do you know? Don't try to play innocent, either." Cato hissed at her, grip on the girl tightening. Finch smirked again, knowing it would annoy him.

"Your water stash, of course. Wouldn't it be funny if they found out about that? Sometimes, I have problems with my words… things come out before I mean it." Finch teased, crafting every sentence carefully, making sure every one of them was lined with the right amount of mystery, hoping to make him even more frustrated. "Wouldn't you hate for the truth about your water stash to come out at the trial?"

"You wouldn't. You're just a scared little girl with too much of a mouth for her own good. The Tracker-Jackers will just love murdering you." Cato hissed, slamming her against the cage again. Finch laughed.

"Oh, really? Well, hear this: if I go down, I'll reveal your stash. Clear my name, get me off with a few extra chores or something stupid like that, clear my name, then I'll consider keeping this all a secret." Finch hissed back. Cato was livid. He hated situations like this. If he attacked her now, she'd reveal the stash straight away… but how would he convince the others? :Peeta, Katniss and Madge wouldn't budge, that was sure, he could bribe Glimmer with something, threaten Prim and Rory into picking wisely, Thresh wouldn't be a problem, he'd be outnumbered, he still had enough time, and it would turn out fine. "Do we have a deal?" Finch said, words full of mockery. The cage was silent for what felt like centuries.

"Fine." Cato grumbled, grabbing her by the wrists, ready to take her up to the trial. Almost dragging her upstairs, he hated her more than he had before. How was she so smart? How could she find out all this? She'd pay for it, one day. He was sure of it…. First Marvel, soon Thresh, and then her…

xxxx

Assembled on benches in the area downstairs near the Mockingjay fountain, Cato had almost succeeded with his task. Bribing Glimmer with her favourite shade of lipstick had been easy, almost too easy, and threatening Rory was just as easy as that. Hopefully he could get Prim to follow with his decision. Standing at the top of the staircase, Katniss looked down at the group, who had voted her in as judge at the last minute. As soon as Peeta and Madge took their seats together near the back, the trial was ready to begin.

"Do you confirm the fact that you were hoarding food?" Katniss began with, looking down at the prisoner as the others waited for her answer.

"Yes." Finch nodded. In this situation, lying to the group would be useless. With her blackmail up her sleeve, she'd be off the hook. She was a genius. An absolute genius, and took pride in every single bit of that. Katniss nodded, gripping the balcony tightly.

"Why did you do it?" Katniss questioned, intrigued by what her answer would be. Tapping gently on the balcony, not hard enough to make any noise, waiting once more. So far, no one had burst in yet, which was a relief, but she didn't get her hopes up. They were only two questions into the trial after all.

"I wanted to make it last longer." Finch answered truthfully. She knew if she told the others, it'd be gone in around two or three weeks, nowhere near as much time as her father had intended. Even with her deal with Cato and her snacks, there was still heaps left in her cupboard, now all up in the food store, to be gone soon enough.

"Oh, come on!" Glimmer muttered, still not completely won over by Cato's bribe, unlike he had thought. It was obvious to her she was just greedy, not caring whether they starved or not, her living on a gold mine while they all wasted away.

"Glimmer, let her talk." Cato said to her firmly, eyes going back to Finch. He wasn't going go let her reveal the truth about the stash. He couldn't. It made him even angrier that he couldn't do anything about it. He was completely stuck. "Carry on, Finch."

"I knew if that I revealed the truth, my food would be gone in a matter of weeks. The rationing system isn't completely working, I know that for a fact. If we're all trying to survive in this place, we can't just waste everything in one go." Finch said to the group as Katniss nodded, understanding what she was getting at. Though Finch was a liar and a thief, the next part she hated to admit, they needed people like her around. She was clever, making the alarm system, as well as the filtration system, but she couldn't just let her crime go. They had to punish her, at least.

"But why are you only telling us now?" Peeta asked. "Just let us go hungry for awhile, and then reveal it? Or, even better, just let us all starve to death?" Finch sighed, cursing under her breath. Her next words needed to be picked carefully. She was a skilled liar, but she was always cautious. Letting your guard down was impractical and foolish.

"The other thing I thought was that… when the fighting stopped, we'd have things to trade for stuff. with the other tribes. Better food, more batteries, clothes, resources. We've been in this hell for eight or nine months now, it has to stop eventually." Finch lied, voice calm, pleased with herself until she heard a laugh come from Glimmer.

"Do you think this is funny?" Katniss demanded, scowling at the blonde. Stopping her chuckling, Glimmer looked up at Katniss, smirking as she crossed her arms.

"Does she really think the tribes are just going to kiss and make up? Just face it, we'll be stuck like this! Even if one tribe wants change, they won't get it. No one wants it." Glimmer answered. "It's an amusing story, but it won't be very convincing." Sighing, Madge thought of the Tribal Gathering. It wasn't the right place to really bring it up, but it might restore some hope in some unity, though a part of her doubted anything coming from it.

"While I was staying with the Nomads, I heard new of a gathering, a Tribal Gathering on the beach, in around three days from now. Clove wants peace, she wants to talk, wants to trade. I thought it would be worth mentioning." Madge spoke up, looking around the group. Cato, though he didn't believe a word of it, just wanting to get this over with and his stash safe again, nodded.

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right. We can't keep fighting like this forever. If Clove wants peace, we should at least try and do something, even if it's a risk…" Cato said to the group, the lie almost sickening to spit out. He knew what Clove wanted, everyone together so she could have her pick of who to kill next… but they didn't actually have to go through with it, did they? He just had to get stupid Finch off the hook. Peeta scoffed, but before he could get his words out, Katniss spoke again, not wanting the two to fight again, it was getting extremely tiring.

"How do you know this is what she will want? It's not one of her games?" Katniss said firmly, looking around the group. He seemed to want to get Finch off the hook… which seemed really odd. "We'll need to discuss the Gathering later. This is about Finch." she paused again, looking down at Cato. "And you, why do you want her off the hook so badly? It seems like that for me…"

"I'm interested in the truth. I'm not saying she gets off completely free, but now that I've thought it through, she… though I hate to admit it, is useful. If we don't punish her, does that mean the other things around here get unnoticed as well? The people who knew about this stash, and kept quiet, those wh-" Cato was cut off by Peeta quickly.

"Those who have committed murder? That hasn't been addressed yet, has it?" Peeta shot out, scowling at him. It didn't seem fair that he just got to walk away from this, just because Marvel was a leader, and the founder of the Tracker-Jackers. Stopping herself from groaning, Katniss sighed instead.

"Right. Let's get to why we're here. those who think Finch is guilty, raise your hands." Katniss said firmly, raising her hand as soon as she finished speaking. Peeta and Madge raised theirs. Finch, looking around at the hands, was slightly shocked to notice Thresh hadn't raised his. She was sure he'd say she was guilty. "Alright… all those who think not guilty?" The rest of the group, all except Prim raised their hands. "Prim… what about you?" Cato gave her a death stare, like the one he had given her yesterday, making her go pale.

"Not…. not guilty." Prim said softly as chatter erupted around the group.

"Quiet!" Katniss shouted as loud as she could. "Here's the verdict: Not gully, but you will be watched. You will have double chores for two weeks, and if you so much breathe the wrong way, you'll be back in the cage." Katniss continued as the group looked up st her. Nodding, Finch decided to let Cato go. That punishment was basically nothing…. but she was still quite annoyed at the watched part. It was her mall, her food in the first place… but it was better than anything else that could've happened.

Letting Finch leave from the chair she was sitting from, Katniss' mind drifted back to the Gathering Madge mentioned. Would it be worth attending? She made a mental note to call a meeting about it later… maybe she'd encounter Rue with her new tribe there?

xxxx


	22. Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One

Once the trial was over, Finch was all too eager to get back to her workshop. From the sight of the sky from the café windows, the sky was extremely dark, clouds a dark grey, rain almost guaranteed. Re-checking the filtration system, making sure everything was all in place, her already delicate system had no faults in it, she sat back down in her room, waiting, trying not to look at that silver cupboard she wanted to smash to bits. Eyes going to a crumpled up pile of paper, something she couldn't remember putting there last time she'd worked. Picking up a piece, smoothing out the creases the best she could, she noticed a semi-copied sketch of her wind turbine, the corner ripped, lines getting darker and darker as she studied the page until they became jagged, the person who drew the sketch obviously frustrated, adding the piece to the pile. Only one person had seen her sketch, that she knew of. Thresh. As if she had called him, he came through the door, probably to say something about the trial.

"I saw your sketches…. well, one of them." Finch began, tapping a pencil on the bench top. Running her hand over the sketch, she looked over at it again. Though working with people, or accepting ideas from others, were definitely not strong points by far, she had to admit Thresh had found a few things in her design that were slightly weak and had strengthened them greatly, and had made some alterations that had made a lot more sense. The next problem they had to look at was finding the materials… it wasn't like they could pop down to the hardware store and load their trolley with whatever they wanted anymore. "They…" she couldn't finish her sentence the first time, just because the words seemed so new to her. "They have promise." Stepping in, Thresh took a seat on the stool next to her, smoothing out another piece of paper of the pile he'd created, frowning at the design.

"What brought the idea for a wind turbine on?" Thresh asked, putting the piece of paper aside and taking another one from the stack, smoothing it out again as he waited for her answer. Looking down at the sketch Finch had originally picked up, looking down at his labels, which were barely legible, then around the room, eyes locking on her battery collection – all different types, batteries that could be used for torches, to power computers, car batteries, along with some car parts she had managed to steal from the many cars left on the grimy roads, know what exactly fuelled her desire to start the project.

"I need a way to charge all those flat batteries. It's all we have to power the laptop for the alarm system, among other things, and batteries are getting pretty scarce." Finch paused to quickly hop down from her seat, taking out two sheets of beige-coloured paper from underneath a green lamp. Laying them down on the table it revealed sketches of some sort of a bike. "At first I thought of pedalling a bike – but how long would that be able to last?" Finch slid the sketches to the side, sighing. Thresh nodded, as if he was signalling that he was listening. "Power, renewable energy has always fascinated me, so I thought of wind energy. The roof's perfect for the turbine, and if we can get it built, there'd be another thing we have that the Tracker-Jackers are too dumb to think of!" Finch almost fell of her seat as the loud crash of thunder brought her back to what she had been doing in the first place – waiting, seeing if it was going to rain. As she was about to say something, Thresh stood up quickly, like he had read her mind. He had helped her complete it – though on her side, it was rather grudgingly. She was still, for the most part, on the fence about deciding to work with him, though he had basically saved her from Cato and Glimmer killing her after the discovery of the stash.

"The filtration system." Thresh said to her as the two gathering around an oddly-shaped device in the corner of the room, tightening a few wires just in case as they heard the lovely sound of running water. Racing upstairs to get the empty bottles from the counter, Finch smiled to herself. She was a genius. An absolute genius.

xxxx

"Are you ready?" Finnick had adrenaline rushing through him as his eyes locked on the bottom of the pole. It had taken hours of bleeding wrists, sore hands, and battling fatigue, but the two had finally finished their job. In a few seconds, they'd be free from what would have been an awful fate. Eyes no longer full of despair, Rue nodded. "On the count of three... One. Two. Three." Slipping their xhains off, then tent came plummeting down on them. Since they had expected it, they managed to get out fairly quickly, looking around at the screaming Nomads as they ran off to get Gloss and Cashmere. Bolting into the woods, almost tripping over rocks, branches cutting their forehead and bare arms, they held onto the thought of freedom.

"After them!" Gloss shouted as Rue heard the all too familiar sound of boots. Running even faster, Finnick looked back through the bushes, to see Cashmere pointing right in their direction.

"There's the guy! The two idiots aren't getting away that easily!" Cashmere hissed as the Nomads on their tails picked up the pace. Too focused on the group pursuing him, Finnick stumbled forward, landing face-first in a pile of twigs, pain shooting through his ankle as he attempted to get up. Even though it was painful, he grabbed onto a tree and pulled himself up, attempting to start running again. Gritting his teeth as he ran, the pain almost sending him over again, the voice became louder… until he felt a bunch of Nomads throwing him to the ground, sending more pain through his swelling ankle. It was probably a sprain… that had ruined his chances of escaping. Livid at himself for his clumsiness and the Nomads, he tried to fight back, but it was basically useless. Since his hands were out of their way, he had no weapons, and a kick would do basically no good in this situation, he screamed curses as they dragged him back to camp, rocks and twigs slicing his face, dirt filling his eyes. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Rue being thrown off the tree she was climbing, being dragged back to her fate as a Tracker-Jacker slave, just like him. What a brilliant plan… now, there was no chance at escape. After this charade, there'd probably we guards on them at all times, even more at the Tribal Gathering, not that there'd me much chance of an escape there. Worst of all, the Tribal Gathering was only a measly two days away!

The first thing they both saw when they awoke, chains heavier than before, were Nomads swarming all around them, arms crossed their eyes gleaming at a job well done, smirks on their faces. Stepping closer, Cashmere gave them a grotesque, twisted grin, which made Rue extremely uneasy. They certainly weren't nice, not at all. It was just an act, like a painted on mask for unsuspecting travellers like her and Finnick.

"Thought you could get away?" Cashmere sniggered. "Well, think again, you fools. Hopefully, I can get in a word with Clove before she looks at you all… I'm sure she'll just love both of you…" With that, the words echoing around in their brains, the group of nomads left, though silhouettes of three guards on each side of their tent remained. Life was going to be an absolute hell from now on.

xxxx

"Katniss! We have water!" Prim called out, looking extremely happy as she carried two medium-sized bottles of water out of Finch's workshop. Last time she had been in there to collect the bottles, another bottle was almost a quarter of the way full with rainwater! It was weird, but to the small girl, it felt like Christmas. Katniss came out of Seam Records, eyes widening slightly in disbelief, Prim passed a bottle to her. Inspecting it carefully, she grinned. It was completely clear, not a single speck of dirt, mud, sand, or gravel. "Finch's filtration system's working perfectly!"

"I can see." Katniss answered, her satisfied smile still on her face slightly. Walking up the stairs with her sister, she placed a bottle on one of the wooden coffee tables in the Bedding & Furniture store, where it had been decided the meeting about the Tribal Gathering would be held in ab out fifteen minutes. Putting the other bottle beside it, Prim raced off to get glasses.

To start off the meeting, they'd test the water. It may give a sense of hope, being able to get their own clean water. She was still so pleased with the water that the questions that would've been on her mind about the water hadn't made a real appearance. Lighting the room with some torches, she waited as Finch brought up one and a half more bottles, and the tribe began to gather. Sitting down in an armchair at the head of the coffee table, Katniss watches her sister sit down on the striped sofa next to it, Madge, cradling Marshall in her arms, sat next to her, Peeta on her other side. On the couch on the other side, sat Thresh, Finch and Rory, and on the last couch, opposite to Katniss, sat Cato and Glimmer.

"Well, Finch's water filtration system came through." Katniss began with as Glimmer sat down, picking up a bottle and pouring three glasses. "Who wants to try it?" At first, the others seemed hesitant, but eventually Thresh reached over for a glass.

"Why not? It was our invention, anyway." Thresh took a sip as Finch sighed. She wasn't used to the 'our invention' thing yet. Waiting to see if Thresh would end up throwing up, pass out, or anything else that could come out of nowhere, most of them were relieved when he put the glass down, looking fine. "It's just what we needed. Perfectly filtered water." Peeta and Katniss then tried a glass. Both were fine. After that, Katniss began to speak again, about why exactly they had gathered here. She was wary about the Tribal Gathering, extremely wary, but the thought of having a fresh water source managed to calm her down a little.

"Now, let's get to why we have gathered here tonight." Katniss surveyed the group, knowing they'd all have something to say in a few minutes. "We have news of a Tribal Gathering taking place in a few days from now. From Madge's reports, apparently the leaders want to talk and trade, start building something-"

"If you're think we should attend, you're an idiot. Clove just wants a chance to take over fully, or even better: kill us all." Cato stated. Though Katniss didn't want to admit it, he had a point. Since this had been the idea of Clove, someone she didn't trust at all, not that she trusted many people in this new world, she was even more sceptical than usual. If they really wanted a truce, it could be worth attending… but how would they know until they got there?

"If the tribes want to make peace, we should take the opportunity. We have things we can do that the others haven't probably figured out yet, and we can trade food and batteries." Madge was still quite interested in the idea of the Gathering, not knowing a thing of Rue's actual fate. Finch sat up completely straight, looking a little annoyed.

"Are you saying we bring our water filtration system to the attention of the whole city? This was meant to be our upper-hand on the Tracker-Jackers!" Finch spat. Katniss sighed. The water filtration system would make them a useful group at the Gathering, but if it was all a trap, they probably wouldn't get it back, as well as the food and batteries. The thought of the Gathering was beginning to make her head ache.

"I think what Madge is trying to say, is that we're not useless. We have something to offer… but as Cato was getting at, this is a huge risk to take. If we decide to go, we should go armed, just in case, and we'll need a few people back to stay with Marshall and guard the mall." Katniss nodded to the group.

"At least you aren't completely stupid. If we have to go, going armed makes the most sense. The Tracker-Jackers will be armed, no doubt." Cato said back. Katniss sighed, scanning the group's faces again.

"Alright. Like we usually do, we'll need to vote, and if we decide to go, we need to figure out a security system. We won't know what to expect when we get there." Katniss stated to the group. "All in favour of attending the Gathering?" Katniss raised her hand, as well as Madge, Peeta, Prim, Rory, and surprisingly Glimmer at the last minute. "All against?" Cato, Thresh, and Finch raised their hands.

"It seems like we need to start planning our strategy then, wise leader." Cato mocked. Leaning back in her chair, Katniss rubbed her eyes. These two days leading up to the gathering would have to be planned out extremely carefully… With this thing, it could end up as an actual agreement for a truce… or a large trap. One wrong move or your dead.

Katniss was beginning to wonder if she had made the right choice.

xxxx


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

The two days spent before the Tribal Gathering went by rather quickly, the group crafting together a plan that would hopefully help them survive just in case things, as suspected, went completely wrong. Cato, Finch, Thresh, Katniss and Peeta would go, while Prim, Rory, Madge and Glimmer would stay back to look after the baby and the mall, hoping their loved ones would return home. At the Gathering, Cato would be in charge of the security, though most of the group would be armed in case of emergencies, weapons hidden away until they had to use them, Finch, who was still protesting greatly, and Thresh would be responsible for bringing the filtration system, demonstrating their system with some dirty water from the lake to the tribes, while Katniss and Peeta, still reluctant about the roles they had reluctantly take on, would represent the tribe at the Gathering as joint leaders.

Now, the group were gathered by the fountain, saying goodbyes for what might be for the last time. Hugging her sister tightly, Prim had no idea what she'd do if Katniss didn't come back. Besides Rory, she was the only person connected to her old life, and like her old friend, they'd both be completely without family. Madge knew she'd be shattered if Peeta didn't come back, being the only thing beside Marshall to live for, Rory had no one he was especially close with, but he hoped Katniss would return for Prim's sake. Glimmer had few doubts, almost one hundred percent sure Cato would come back. If they'd escaped the Tracker-Jackers twice now, why not a third time?

Leaving quickly, the group set out for the coast, eyes always looking around for danger. Getting through the city, especially with carrying the water filtration system and a bag of food and batteries just in case, would've been a lot easier if they had wheels like the Tracker-Jackers. It was now like a code in Panem. If they had a car, you should probably get away, as only the most powerful tribes had them and had managed to keep them going. Katniss tried to keep one thing on her mind: they were going to make peace, not start a massive riot. If Clove wanted peace, it, even though it was risky, was worth attending, though not returning still lurked around in their minds.

After walking for what seemed like hours, they finally reached the Gathering, chatter filling their ears and the scent of salt water filling their noses. The beach was filled with tribes, a crowd a lot larger than expected. Pointing out a corner that seemed relatively empty, the group began to set up camp, occasionally getting glances from other tribes, war paint vicious, eyes dark, baseball bats, swords, knives, anything that could be used as a weapon strapped to their sides.

"Hey, hey! Come with me! Come with me! I know where they all are! The adults! Come! Come!" A girl, looking around sixteen, obviously gone insane tugged on Finch's arm, until Thresh pushed her away.

"Watch our for crazies. They'll be everywhere." Cato turned to the others, sighing. "If they get too close, just put them out of their misery."

"We aren't her to kill or fight, Cato. We're trying to make peace." Katniss sighed, looking around at the other tribes, feeling eyes all around them, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"We're being watched…. I don't like it…" Finch muttered, setting the water system down with Thresh. It was insane. Looking around, she noticed tribes playing instruments, some already drinking alcohol, others telling the supposed 'story' of how the Virus wiped out the adults, with the sight she saw the most being Tracker-Jackers everywhere, armed with sharp knives stained with dry blood from kills before, a reminder of what would happen if you crossed them.

"You aren't supposed to like it." Cato shot back. "We look like undertakers at a wedding. I can't blame them for staring. Don't let them know you're afraid."

"I'll start getting everything ready…" Thresh began, beginning to unload the bottles of dirty water from the bag they'd brought. Finch nodded, tearing her eyes away from the tribes, happy to have them back on the invention. "Finch and I will guard the filtration system."

"Do you know where the Leaders Meeting is?" Katniss turned to Peeta, looking around the beach. Peeta pointed to the far end of the beach, close to the lighthouse.

"It looks like it'll be around there. Are you ready?" Peeta asked. Katniss reluctantly nodded. "Finch, you need to come with us. Cato, Thresh, stay here. Guard the machine. We'll be as quick as we can."

"Me?!" Finch's eyes widened. "You guys have it sorted, going down there. You don't need another person."

"We need someone to explain the water filtration system." Peeta said to her. Grumbling, Finch joined them, looking around. Thresh gave Cato a death stare, obviously quite annoyed to be stuck with him. Cato returned it quickly, before his gaze went over to the three others.

"And try to come back with something useful. Or, even better, come back in the first place." Cato scowled. Katniss nodded, crossing her arms as her, Peeta and Finch set off towards the lighthouse, hoping they wouldn't get killed.

xxxx

Back at the mall, tension was running high. Pacing around the café, rocking Marshall back and forth, Madge watched as Rory fiddled with a box of marbles he found in the back of the Hobby Shop, rolling the marbles down the stairs, looking bored, and Glimmer was painting Prim's nails pink, just get the girl to stop fretting about Katniss. It made her feel sick, her ideas before beginning to disappear. Would they actually come back? The silence was getting really uncomfortable. Trying not to sigh, Madge put Marshall back in his basket, handing him an old teddy bear for him to cling to. Placing her hands on her hips, she looked around at the group again. They needed something, anything to get their minds off of the Tribal Gathering.

"Alright… we need some cheering up big time." Madge tried to sound cheerful. "What wants some chocolate pudding as a nice treat?" No one answered at first, until Glimmer nodded, followed by the other two. Chocolate. It wouldn't bring Cato, Thresh, Finch, Katniss, and Peeta back in an instant, but at least it was comforting. "I'll go get it." Madge rushed into the kitchen, opening the can of pudding, mouth watering as it oozed out into the bowls. Grabbing some spoons, she brought the bowls back, placing them in front of everyone. Taking a bite, she looked at the others, hands shaking.

"Thank you, Madge. This is great." Prim struggled to keep her voice from shaking, giving the older girl an extremely strained smile. It was obvious what was running through Prim's mind: the many ways Katniss and the others could be killed at this moment. Hardly anyone was oblivious to the anarchy the Tracker-Jackers and the other gangs spread around the city of Panem.

"Yeah. It makes the thought of your boyfriend being brutally murdered by those crazies out there a whole lot sweeter." Glimmer scoffed, a lot more worried than she was this morning. Prim's fretting, Rory's eerie silence and Madge being extremely unsettled had brought her plummeting back to Earth. Cato may not come back. No of they may not come back. It was terrifying to think. Suddenly, Prim put her spoon down, looking terrified.

"What if they don't come back?! What will we do?" Prim asked, sounding extremely worried, much more than Glimmer and Madge had thought. Putting a hand on Prim's shoulder, Madge tried to calm her down, though she was terrified herself.

"Prim… even if they don't come back, which isn't likely at all…" Madge's words hurt, and she knew the twelve year old wasn't buying a single word of it. "You, Glimmer and I… we'll be like sisters! We can all live off Finch's stash, keep her alarm going, Rory can forage… and we can look after Marshall together, watch him grow…" the words were now aching.

"I don't want anyone else to die!" Prim shot out, sounding hysterical. These next hours in the mall, days even, and maybe, if they all died at the Gathering, months were going to extremely painful to sit through….

xxxx

Finch, Katniss approached the lighthouse, watching as the tribe leaders sat and stood around Clove and the Tracker-Jacker's, listening to her every word. Even the tribes that would normally fight with them had all shut up. Whether it was the knives and swords keeping them quiet, or the attempted negotiation of peace, the three had no idea. attempting to blend into the crowd, they watched and waited, beginning to listen themselves.

"We have all come so far, achieved so much, but there's still a lot that needs to be done. What's holding us back? I'll tell you." Clove paused, pacing around a huge fire that had only come into Finch's view, her knives strapped to her sides as always. Taking one out from her side, she played with it in one hand as she continued. "LAZINESS. STUPIDITY. INEFFICIENCY. COWARDICE." she shouted to the crowd. "These are the old ways. Do we want to succumb to the adults mistakes?"

"We?" A boy questioned, sitting down in an old wooden chair. "You mean, the Tracker-Jackers?"

"The tribe leaders. It's up to us to set an example for the others to follow. We need to turn things around-" Clove was cut off by the same boy, which to Katniss, was a death wish.

"WE? We Beasts stopped trading with the Tracker-Jackers because they were TOO EFFICIENT, filling their own pockets!" The boy shouted back. Peeta was quite surprised when Clove continued, not even punishing the guy for cutting her off. It wouldn't be right in a meeting for supposed peace, he guessed.

"It's true." Clove stopped in front of the fire, looking down at the flames. "There's been bad blood, wars, a lot more death after everything else we've been through. But that's why we're here. To make amends, to make sure everyone gets an equal share."

"Equal share?" A girl from the Jabberjays scoffed. "When we traded with you guys in the very beginning, we always ended up with the small share."

"We take more because we need more." Clove said sharply, looking around at all the tribe members again. "We look after a lot of the city's survivors . Look at all the strays we've generously taken in, fed, and given homes, given work. Katniss had heard enough. Pushing past a few leaders, she got towards the front, Peeta and Finch trailing behind her.

"Enslaved, don't you mean?" Katniss shot out. The eyes all went to her. Her only marking was a red mark across her cheek. Peeta had a small blue line under hi eyes, and Finch had five orange lines on each cheek, very different to the other tribes who almost had matching markings. Recognising her from the cage incident, Clove crossed her arms, scowling.

"Who are they?" The Jabberjay girl pointed a finger at the three. "This is a closed meeting!" Peeta then realised they didn't have a name, which wouldn't come off well. Mind going to the Mockingjay fountain, she settled on The Mockingjays for now.

"We are the Mockingjays, and we've come to trade." Peeta began as the Jabberjay girl and the Beast boy that aspoke earlier shook their heads.

"Never heard of you…" The Jabberjay girl's green eyes were locked on Peeta's blue ones. "What part of the city are you in?"

"Middle area, towards the bus station, but don't come looking!" Katniss shouted, trying to sound bold. "We're well defended."

"Well, you don't just stroll in, FRIEND! You have to be invited!" The Beast boy shouted back at her. Clove stepped forward, looking up at Peeta and Katniss, barely registering Finch.

"I know them." Clove said firmly to the crowd. As if she was just having a casual conversation, she spoke again. "How are things?"

"Decent." Katniss shrugged, not caring what Clove thought, as long as they got out alive.

"NOT YOU, LITTLE LADY!" Clove shouted at her as Peeta stepped forward. "I was talking to the man. What do you have to trade, anyway?"

"The bottled water won't last forever, and the water from the streams isn't completely safe. Every drink could be our last. Finch here, came up with a water filtration system." Peeta replied, a little annoyed by her outburst at Katniss, but it wasn't the time to get fired up now. Awkwardly presenting Finch, who looked quite annoyed to be brought to attention. "Think about it. No slaves to gather what could be contaminated water. Unlimited, fresh water." The Jabberjay girl scoffed.

"The slaves-" The Jabberjay girl began, only for Clove to shut her up.

"Quiet, Marina! Unlimited fresh water you say? I want a demonstration. How long will that take?" Clove asked.

"Um…. a little while. We need to set up fully." Finch said hurriedly.

"Then, we'll reassemble in a little while. I hope you'll all be ready." Clove said, almost mockingly. "The meeting is over. We'll be back soon to see what these mice have assembled." The tribes began to file out as Finch, Katniss and Peeta began to head back to camp.

xxxx

Leaving Thresh by himself, perfectly capable of guarding the invention, Cato had gone off to inspect. So far, he had seen no one looking injured, or getting beaten up… but it was only a matter of time. Only when he heard the crack of a whip, following by groaning, a man and a woman leading a bunch of slaves, that he looked around. In the middle of the line was someone he looked so familiar, he thought his mind was playing tricks. Looking around twelve years old, dark eyes and hair, differences being looking extremely worn down and dirty, cuffed with a boy that looked around Cato's age, blonde, looking as dirty as she was. Rue. It was Rue. It had to be her. So much for her being happy with her new tribe.

"Rue?" Cato's eyes locked on her as she passed. Stopping for a moment to study him, she didn't smile, knowing he wouldn't rescue her, she had lost all hope of being rescued.

"Cato? What are you-" Rue began, eyes still on his, until she was shoved by Cashmere.

"Come on, move it! No time for talking!" Cashmere ran to the front of the group of slaves, pushing them all along. Looking at the line of slaves one last time, Cato quickly left. If only Katniss knew...

xxxx


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT DOESN'T WORK?!" Cato shouted at Finch and Thresh, who were fixing up wires on the machine, groaning as the small part of water they tested came out dirty once more. Turning away from the invention, Finch scowled up at him, looking around for a few seconds. Luckily, there was no attention on them. For now.

"Cato, could you speak up a little? I don't think the Beasts have heard you yet!" Finch muttered to him, looking around once more, this time for Katniss and Peeta, who had gone off to look for something after the Tribe Leaders Meeting. Finch had an idea that Katniss was trying to look for Rue and her new tribe. "And, there's just a few…. technical difficulties. They'll be sorted out in a while, just give us some room!"

"Technical difficulties? Damn right they better be sorted out in awhile because the Tracker-Jackers from the sound of it will be coning back soon, and they certainly aren't going to just shrug it off!" Cato growled, looking down at the invention as Thresh tried some more water, making him groan again when it came out dirty. This was just what they needed.

"Look, can you just go and look for Katniss and Peeta? And try and stall them for as long as you can." Thresh sighed as Finch tore out the back panel, working on those wires. Katniss and Peeta had stepped in there, promising unlimited fresh water, and now they found themselves stuck in this predicament?! Brilliant. Just brilliant.

"Fine, but I don't make any promises." Cato answered, beginning to walk away, before turning around one more time. "One more thing. Try to stay alive while I'm gone!" Disappearing again, he wondered where Katniss and Peeta could be. Walking down towards the lighthouse, he wondered about telling Katniss about Rue. Would it be a good idea to stall her with, or would it just create more drama? Turning a corner, he frowned, finding a dead end. Going to turn back again, he noticed Clove, who still wanted her revenge for Marvel's death, and five of her members beside her. This would probably not end well, but he tried to just act normal. "What's this? Forget to return my library books or something?"

"I just wanted to… talk. Introduce you to some of my friends." Clove said, voice sounding calmer than usual. He couldn't get away without spilling blood, and by her calm tone, this was certainly a trick. A girl a little taller than Clove stepped forward, brown hair swept up in a ponytail, tribal markings as dark and mysterious as all the others, and once opening her mouth to give an unsettling smile, teeth that looked extremely sharp. "This is Enobaria, one of my absolute favourites. Have you ever heard that charming tale of one of the Tracker-Jackers best street fights? The one where the Jabberjay got their throat ripped out? That was her." Enobaria nodded with a smirk. "He screamed in agony until he couldn't anymore. Kind of like…. I don't know, I'm just taking a wild guess here, but Marvel?" Before he could even respond, pull out his knife, or attempt to make a run for it, he was thrown to the floor by Enobaria. He attempted to get up, but he was thrown down again. Clove smirked, looking around to her accomplices. "Enobaria, you four: finish him off!" she ordered, before disappearing.

Outnumbered by five Tracker-Jackers, Cato couldn't even put up a proper fight before he lost consciousness…

xxxx

Sat down next to Finnick and another girl next to the Nomads cart, Rue wondered what was about to come next. It couldn't be much longer for Clove to make her appearance. Three slaves had already been bought by the Beasts, two well-built men for could obviously do a lot of hard jobs, a smaller boy, and a girl who looked around sixteen. Looking into the distance, she saw her, coming this way. Clove, in all her glory, coming to buy her slaves. Holding her breath, she looked down at the sand. This was it. She'd never be free again. Giving Gloss a deranged smile, Clove began to walk back and forth the line of slaves, surveying them all. Suddenly, making Rue almost jump, Clove stopped in between her and Finnick. Forcing Rue to look up at her, Clove laughed.

"I know you. You're one of those little mice, who call themselves the Mockingjays. Do your mom and dad know you're out so late?" Clove paused, looking down at the girl as her eyes widened. Pointing to her and Finnick, she turned to Gloss. "I'll take those two." Nodding, Gloss grabbed their arms, and wrote the words "TRACKER-JACKERS" on their wrists. It was all over. The future didn't look even the slightest part bright. They were now Clove's.

"Wise choice." Gloss smirked, looking over at the leader. As Clove began to trade her good with him, Rue and Finnick's eyes went down to the sand again, knowing there was no point in doing anything else. Suddenly, when she least expected it, she heard a pair of boots and a shout from someone she never thought she'd see again. Katniss.

"Rue!" Katniss called, racing up to the dark-haired girl, looking down at her, eyes extremely puzzled when they fell onto her chains. "What happened to you?!" She asked, looking down at her companions, all chained up like her. As Rue opened her mouth, she felt a hand on her shoulder, shoving her away.

"Excuse me, but she's already been bought." Clove said to her firmly with a scowl. Quickly returning the scowl, Katniss' eyes darted from Rue to Clove, finally realising what was going on. Those Nomads Madge had said that Rue was staying with had tricked her, and now she was a slave… that had just been bought by Clove. Going slightly pale, annoyance, fury, sadness and regret going through her all at once, she knew her fate as a new slave to the Tracker-Jackers wouldn't mean anything good.

"Bought?" Katniss muttered, looking down at the other girl, fists clenched. "Have you ever checked a history book? Slavery was abolished." she shot back, furious that Rue was now her slave, and there was next to nothing she could do about it. Clove simply laughed, though fury was in her eyes.

"In the old world, maybe. Now, it's quite useful, actually." Clove smirked, looking down at Rue and Finnick for a few seconds before her eyes went back to Katniss. "Son, you're going to be annoying me, and you won't like what will happen next. So, I strongly suggest you forget about your pathetic little friends and scurry off home." Furious, it taking everything in her not to slap her, Katniss knew she couldn't just let Rue become a slave. "What are you waiting for?!" What she was about to say was desperate, but she wanted Rue back. It would be like letting the Tracker-Jackers take Prim in her mind.

"How… how about we cut a deal?" Katniss began firmly. "We have the water filtration system. If our demonstration proves worthwhile, and we can negotiate a trade, you guys get fresh water, and I get Rue back. If our demonstration somehow falls through, you… you get me instead." Her fists remained clenched. Clove kept silent for a few minutes, before nodding.

"That seems like a good deal. Winner take all, you say?" Clove answered. "I'll see you soon… I hope you enjoy serving the Tracker-Jackers!" Clove began to walk off, leaving a still quite angry Katniss by the group of slaves, hoping she had made the right decision by making the deal with Clove. It was a desperate attempt of getting Rue back. They had nothing else worthwhile to trade with Clove.

"Katniss, no!" Rue protested, rattling her chains. "You didn't have to do this!" The younger girl knew Clove wouldn't go down without a fight, and while having Katniss would be a great advantage, having Rue would be even better, sending Katniss off-track at the thought of her stuck with Clove and her psychos. This wouldn't end well at all.

"Quiet!" Gloss shouted at Rue, before looking over at Katniss. "You should leave. We don't want anyone stirring up trouble around here. If you're not going to do, business, go." Reluctantly, Katniss turned away from Rue, deciding to go find Peeta and tell him about the predicament. Katniss wouldn't give up so easy. They were going to leave the Gathering with Rue. She would make sure of it.

xxxx

Managing to catch up with Peeta, Katniss and her companion began to walk back to camp, Katniss quickly explaining to Rue situation, still very angry to Peeta, who tried to reassure her that they'd get Rue out, but he knew his attempts were mostly in vain. She didn't seem to be getting any calmer at all. Turning a corner, quickly realising it was a dead end, Peeta's eyes locked on a bloodied, unconscious figure lying in one of the dark corners, obviously in an awful state. Taking a few cautious steps closer to the body, wondering if the person was dead, Peeta immediately recognised who it was, even in his awful state: Cato.

"Katniss? I think we have a problem…" Peeta said slowly as Katniss joined him beside Cato, looking down with a sigh. Great. Another problem to add to the bunch already facing them at the Gathering. Now they had to deal with getting back to the mall, freeing Rue, getting to the bottom of what had left Cato in this state… if he was still alive, and making sure the water filtration system worked perfectly. If not, they were most likely dead. Leaning down to see if Cato was alive, Peeta grimaced at the sight of all the blood. He was alive… but severely beaten. Katniss tried to piece together what could've happened. Did he, her greatest suspicion, lose a fight, or got beaten up by one of the gangs, or by the Tracker-Jackers, looking for revenge.

"Cato?" Katniss mumbled, looking down at him with a sigh. "Cato?" she said again, a little louder. Groaning, Cato slowly opened his eyes, vision slightly blurred. He could barely remember anything, except for the crazy woman with the sharp teeth slamming him against the brick wall, everything going pitch black. They'd pay. He just needed to find them. At the moment, he didn't care about his wounds, he just wanted revenge desperately. "Come on. We need to get back. We'll expecting the Tracker-Jackers coming for their demonstration soon." Peeta and Katniss tried to drag him up, but he quickly pushed them away.

"I can walk, you idiots!" Cato muttered, holding onto the wall as he began to shove past Katniss and Peeta as best as he could, intent on hunting down Enobaria and Clove, making sure he'd win the next fight, the supposed 'peace' agreement completely out of his mind. "I won't be surprised if we find Finch and Thresh dead when we come back." he said through gritted teeth.

"If they are, it'll send me over the edge." Katniss muttered, the deal she had cut with Clove coming back to her full-force. "Those Nomads Rue met weren't exactly as generous as Madge thought." she sighed. Looking down at his shirt splattered in blood, which just reminded him of what he wanted to do next, Cato managed a nod, though his head was pounding.

"So, you heard." Cato said to her. "I was going to tell you when you came back from the meeting… but you found her first." Annoyed, Katniss didn't respond at first. When he had saw her, she probably hadn't been Clove's slave yet. As they slowly walked back to where they had set up, Cato's injuries slowing them down considerably.

"Well, when I last saw Rue, Clove had just bought her!" Katniss spat, looking around the Gathering. Luckily, things didn't look any worse, but being there still made her feel uneasy, especially after seeing what happened to Cato, which could easily happen to any of them if they weren't careful. The Gathering was meant to try and bring peace to the city, stop the wars between the tribes? Katniss almost scoffed at the thought. That was certainly working out!

Eventually, the reached camp, Cato sliding down against a rock as she remembered the other problem that had arose before he had gotten involved with Enobaria and the other Tracker-Jackers: the filtration machine wasn't working! Katniss and Peeta stood together, taking in the scene. Finch threw a panel against the rock Cato was slumped against, while Thresh kicked the machine in fury.

"Thresh, Finch… what's going on?" Peeta asked, having an awful feeling of what the answer was. Katniss shared his feeling as Finch looked up at him, furious.

"Well, there's been some technical difficulties…" Finch began, just as the sound of boots alerted them. Turning around, hoping her words hadn't been heard, the group watched as Enobaria, Clove, and five other Tracker-Jackers approached then, eyes fixed on the machine.

"You." Cato scowled, attempted to get up, looking up at Enobaria, who was definitely going to pay. Smirking at the sight of him, he wanted to break her neck then and there. Before Enobaria could responded or acknowledge him properly, Clove stepped forward, walking around the machine.

"So… is it ready?" Clove asked firmly, looking up at the group, who were trying to hide what was going on in their heads in the moment.

"It isn't exactly…" Thresh muttered. "This system takes a little longer than the usual." Clove's face hardened even more, walking around the machine one more time, before stopping.

"Fine. I'll give you half an hour more. By then, it better be ready… or you'll be enjoying a little ordeal similar to what happened to your… friend." Clove smirked, looking over at Katniss with a laugh. "You'll warm up to it eventually. The pool is nice." The group of Tracker-Jackers quickly left before Peeta's eyes darted over to Katniss.

"The pool is nice?" Peeta raised an eyebrow. "What does Clove mean by that?" He asked, stepping a little closer to her. Crossing her arm, Katniss gritted her teeth, Thresh and Finch frustrated getting back to work.

"I… I cut a deal with her, but that's between the two of us. It's nothing." Katniss muttered. "We have more important matters to deal with at the moment." She threw a cloth at Cato for him to clean his wounds with, just for something to do.

"Katniss-" Peeta began firmly, only for her to cut him off sharply. It was all to get Rue free, it was none of his business.

"It's nothing, Peeta!" Katniss snapped, pacing around the invention, hoping Finch and Thresh would find the problem. Suddenly, she looked up at a laugh. Cato, wiping blood off his wrists, looked around at their surroundings, began to speak.

"Can't you get this through your thick heads?! Most likely, we won't be getting out of here alive, what happened to me was just the start! You better start saying goodbyes in your head, because this is it. Unless Finch and Thresh cone up with a miracle, we're pretty much dead!" Cato burst out. Trying to shrug off his words, having little luck, Katniss paced around the invention. This next few hours, minutes, however long it took for their death would be agonizing. They couldn't leave. If they tried to bolt, they'd just attract attention.

For the Mockingjays, this was probably it.

xxxx


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Four

"Look…" Finch began to Thresh with a sigh, fiddling with the water filtration system a little more, an idea, which in the back of her mind she sadly thought would go nowhere, popping up in her mind. "Can't we just take our chances and run for it?" she continued, studying the group for a few seconds as she waited for Thresh to answer her. Cato was still slumped against a rock, cleaning his wounds as he thought of all the ways to get back at Clove and Enobaria, seething with rage, Katniss was counting the cans of food and packs of batteries, visibly frustrated, Thresh looked like he was on the verge of throwing the machine across the beach, and Peeta was watching the Tracker-Jackers that were standing in the distance, seemingly, watching their every move. Looking up from the invention, Thresh shook his head.

"No. We wouldn't be able to get out without starting a fight." Thresh muttered as Peeta turned his head back to the group, the Tracker-Jackers obviously not going to move anywhere quickly. "It looks like they're keeping a close eye on us, in case we do try something." Finch cursed under her breath, throwing a screwdriver at their pile of tools that Cato was guarding.

"Perhaps it's better we can't leave yet. We have to sort something out before we go. Make a thought-provoking exit." Cato grumbled, still extremely angry. Katniss turned to him and shook her head, frustrated.

"We are not starting any fights here! We just came to trade fresh water with the tribes-" Katniss began in an annoyed tone of voice, until Cato cut her off with a smirk.

"Fresh water that is nowhere to be found because the water filtration system failed!" Cato shot back, folding his arms which were starting to stop bleeding as he continued to look up at her. "Our best bet now is to let me handle Clove and her crazies while Foxface-"

"Finch!" Finch snapped at him, turning away from the water filtration system with a scowl.

"Yeah, Finch, or whatever you call yourself. Now, back to my plan. Our best bet is while I handle Clove and the others, is that Fo- Finch and Peeta make a run for it with the stuff, and Thresh and Katniss run for where Rue is, Thresh distracts the slave traders while Katniss attempts to free Rue. Now, any questions?" Cato explained, looking around at the confused, frustrated, and kind of hopeful faces of the group.

"How do we know this will work?" Thresh asked. "You got beaten up by the Tracker-Jackers once already, just a few hours ago, it can easily happen again." Cato shot him a death glare, clenching his fists.

"I wasn't prepared! Not everyday are you ambushed by five Tracker-Jackers and their leader!" Cato insisted. Thresh gave a shrug, turning to back to the invention. The group fell silent again. "I honestly think my plan is the only way we'll leave here alive. I don't think Thresh and Finch are going to give us anything to work with anytime soon. Even you should try and at least pretend you like the plan, Katniss. You'll get the kid back."

Katniss turned around, sighing, about to answer him when Clove, Enobaria and some other Tracker-Jackers began to walk towards their camp once more. Stopping in front of the invention, Finch and Thresh reluctantly stepped away from their invention, fists clenched as the began to think about Cato's plan. Would it work, or just get them killed sooner. Noticing no one in the group saying anything, the invention in a horrible state from all of the attempted fixing, Clove and Enobaria stepped forward, arms folded as they scowled down at the invention.

"Time's up… and you haven't delivered anything you promised." Clove threw the invention down, pieces shattering everywhere, it barely recognisable. Clenching his fists, furious his, along with Finch's hard work was being smashed to bits in front of him, Thresh tried to stop himself from lunging forward and attempting an attack like Cato had been planning. Gesturing for two Tracker-Jackers to grab Katniss, and another two to start beating the invention with baseball bats, Clove watched their faces carefully. "I guess I'll be taking my prize, now." Struggling, Katniss was dragged off to the slaves cart, chained up beside Rue at the end of the slave line while Peeta protested, only to be silenced by a hard blow, sinking him to his knees.

"Hey, Clove, Enobaria? I'm feeling a lot better now, so how about a rematch?" Cato shouted to the two girls, lunging towards them, intent on getting revenge, who before they could do anything, were on the ground. As they fought, Finch did what Cato had told her to do earlier, attempt to collect the mangled invention as Thresh fought with the other Tracker-Jackers as a distraction. As quick ass she could, she began to make a run for it, hoping she could get back alive.

Then, the weirdest thing began to happen. One by one, the other tribes began to attack the Tracker-Jackers, starting an all-out riot. The peace agreement had fallen through soon enough. Everyone still despised the Tracker-Jackers, that was for sure!

xxxx

"Slavery. This is the life." Finnick muttered as Katniss looked over at him and Rue. Now, she had lost everything. She was a slave to the Tracker-Jackers, would never see Prim again, and most likely all of the tribe would be dead in the next few hours. After dealing with the ones at the Gathering, Clove would almost be guaranteed to storm the mall, kill everyone back there, and trash the place, maybe even make it a new home, grinning to herself as she thought of her grisly work.

"This is Finnick. We were prisoners back at the Nomad camp together." Rue managed to point to him, though it was tough due to her chains. Now, she was almost getting used to them, but the pain in her wrists every few hours made her doubt it. Being a slave to the Tracker-Jackers. What a fate.

"I'm Katniss… pity we had to meet like this." Katniss mumbled, unable to think of anything else to say. As Finnick looked over at her, green eyes locking with her grey ones, loud boots alerted the three. By the time Rue had looked around as best as she could for the person making the sound, her golden eyes widened at the sight of Thresh throwing himself full-force at Gloss and Cashmere, beginning to fight with them, distracting them from what else was occurring – Peeta was freeing the slaves! Chains being lifted off them, Katniss, Rue, and a reluctant Finnick, having nowhere else to go, began to bolt as Peeta eventually caught up to them. Thresh was still nowhere to be seen as they ran, but Rue and Katniss hoped he'd end up making an appearance. Now: their minds were on fixed on one thing: getting back to the mall.

xxxx

At the mall, the mood was had gone from bleak, to glum, to now hopeless. Madge had tried to lighten the mood by insisting to start on preparing a feast for the others for them to have when they returned… if they returned that was, but she didn't voice that thought to the others. They were still thinking it, anyway. Mindlessly stirring some tinned meat, all Madge could think of was the Gathering, no matter how hard she tried to focus on something else. The only thing that brought her back to reality was Prim's voice. She tried to put on a smile for the younger girl.

"Here's what you wanted." Prim nodded, putting two cans of creamed corn onto the counter. "Do you need any help?" Prim desperately wanted something else to do. She was extremely worried about Katniss. Losing her sister would tear her to pieces. She was the only family member she had left.

"That would be lovely." Madge passed Prim the wooden spoon, giving her stirring duty as she opened up the first can of corn, grinning as she heard the crack, blue eyes going to the food inside. Madge's family had been quite well-off before the Virus. He father had been City Mayor, and they had always had more than enough to eat, and none of it came out of a can. Fresh eggs, crunchy carrots, juicy pears, crusty, fresh, wholemeal bread. She had taken it all for granted. Now, it was all gone. She would just love to get her hands on some eggs, something fresh and healthy, but even though she had seen her share of dogs, cats, rabbits, and once even a goat on the streets, she had never seen a chicken. Chicken. Chicken would be nice. Roasted, with a gravy over it, maybe even with some potatoes and pumpkin. Her mouth watered. It took all her strength to snap herself out of her daydream of fresh food, continuing with preparing their fests, which was all most out of a can. At least, it was better than nothing.

"They'll appreciate this when they get back, won't they?" Prim gave Madge a strained smile, voice a little shaky, trying to keep a glimmer of hope inside her somewhere. Taking the meat off to cool, she started on the vegetables. Pie. They were going to have pie again. It seemed like a right treat in this world. Not looking over at the girl as she nodded, afraid she'd see the tears welling up in her eyes. After that, silence filled the kitchen for at least half an hour, until the loud sound of feet and huffing and puffing exploded into the kitchen. Both girls jumped, shaking their heads at the now still figure.

"Rory! You scared us both!" Prim said, though her tone wasn't snappy. She actually managed a smile. After that, chatter filled their ears – all coming from downstairs. "It it…." she trailed off as Rory nodded.

"Yeah. They're all back!" Rory said enthusiastically as Madge turned off the stove, not minding if her vegetables cooled. Peeta was back. Katniss was back. Finally! All she hoped was that they'd be in a decent state, not bleeding and broken. Racing down the stairs, Glimmer joining them from the café where she had been painting on new markings, the other members that had gone to the Gathering were crowded around the Mockingjay fountain. Thresh and Finch were sat down on the platform around the fountain, eyes on the mangled thing that had once been the water system, Rue was laying down on a bench, visibly tired, a tall, handsome blonde man leaned against the wall next to her that Madge had never seen before, Katniss was sitting cross-legged on the ground, Peeta sitting beside her, Cato slumped against the wall, looking half-dead on the other side of her. While overjoyed to see eachother, it didn't show on their faces. Instead, silence filled the room. Madge broke it with a question she thought was rather stupid as Prim wedged herself between Cato and Katniss to sit next to her sister, trying not to look at the bloody figure beside her.

"So… how was the Gathering?" Madge asked slowly as Glimmer raced up the stairs, probably to get her makeup or something. Finch let out a frustrated sigh before looking up at her.

"At least we got out alive." Finch muttered. "Let's just say, it was a really awful experience. I'm not sure where to start." she folded her arms as Cato looked up at Madge, semi-conscious.

"Hm, we have a fair share of events to pick from. The water filtration machine being torn to shreds because it screwed up on us, Clove deciding to use me as target practice – though I got back at her later, good and proper, Little Kid and Flower become slaves to the Tracker-Jackers…" He croaked, stopping abruptly, too weak to continue. Glimmer came downstairs with a cloth and a bowl of water, kneeling down beside him and treating his wounds.

"Who's this?" Rory asked, pointing over to Finnick. Rue sat up, making room for Finnick on the seat next to her, him sitting down slowly, eyes on his wrists, glad to be free again.

"This is Finnick. We were slaves together at the nomad camp." Rue mumbled quietly. Madge sat down next to Thresh, who looked a little bloody as well, but definitely not as bad as Cato, going pale. Slaves? She had been lucky for leaving when she did, but she felt awful for leaving Rue behind, even if she didn't know what fate had in store form them.

"Oh, Rue…." Madge sighed, looking over at her, face strained. A sorry wouldn't cut it…. but what would exactly? Rue looked over at her, giving her a weak, weak smile, as if it meant she wasn't holding any grudges against her, which seemed odd to Madge, but she was grateful all the same.

"So, Rue, this is your tribe?" Finnick questioned, looking around the mall as best as he could from his spot on his seat. "A mall. Nice shelter choice, I must say. Do you have a name?" he asked the last question casually, as if he was just doing it out of boredom.

"How about the Rats? We practically have to live like them." Cato muttered weakly as Glimmer pressed the cloth to his cheek, trying to get him to keep quiet. Prim shook her head.

"No. It doesn't feel right…" Prim sighed, looking up at the Mockingjay fountain. "Do you have any ideas, Katniss?"

"At the Gathering, we used the Mockingjays…." Katniss answered, eyes following her sister's to the statues. Mockingjays. It just seemed to sort of fit. It felt right.

"Mockingjays… I like it." Rue nodded with a grin, looking around the group, who eventually gave nods in approval.

"So, we all agree on being called the Mockingjays?" Peeta asked, looking around the group himself, who again all gave nods, and a small bit of chatter in approval. "There we have it. We're the Mockingjays…. and whether we like it or not, we're a tribe. We're survivors. We're fighters. We've beaten the Virus, the Tracker-Jackers, the Gathering… and we will fight for our survival to the very end."

xxxx


End file.
